A recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has uncovered new insights into how attention issues in childhood, combined with genetic factors, may influence the risk of developing serious psychiatric conditions. psychosis Or Schizophrenia later in life. However, researchers emphasize that although these factors are associated with increased risk, they do not guarantee future mental illness.

Dr. Cary Bearden, professor and lead researcher at UCLA’s Semel Institute and Brain Research Institute, explains, “If a child has a genetic predisposition as well as attention problems, we have yet to identify the specific long-term consequences or which , don’t know this.” Resilient despite underlying risks.” Bearden points out that more research is needed to clearly understand the trajectory from attention difficulties in childhood to psychotic symptoms in adolescence or early adulthood.

Study, published in Nature mental healthanalyzed cognitive, genetic and brain data from more than 10,000 children, following them for an average of six years from about age nine until their teenage years. Researchers examined the relationship between attention issues in childhood, genetic factors, and the likelihood of experiencing psychotic symptoms as a child matures. Psychosis is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as a mental condition marked by a significant loss of contact with reality, where a person may struggle to distinguish between what is real and what is not.

According to the findings, attention issues in childhood were linked to a 4 percent to 16 percent association between genetics and the risk of developing psychotic symptoms in adolescence. This relationship underscores the complexity of mental health development, where attention issues may be only one part of the puzzle.

Study co-author Sarah Chang, a neuroscience graduate student at UCLA’s Semel Institute, says that although attention issues appear to play a role, they don’t fully explain the pathway from genetic predisposition to psychotic symptoms. . Chang explains, “If meditation fully explained the relationship between genetic predisposition and psychotic-like experiences, this percentage would be 100 percent.” The study findings highlight that there are many risk factors for psychosis, and the pathways by which these factors influence mental health are still not fully understood.

The UCLA team aims to identify additional factors that may indicate susceptibility to mental disorders from an early age, as this knowledge could potentially lead to new intervention strategies. Dr. Bearden says detecting these early indicators may help develop treatments or other preventive measures to help reduce the onset of psychiatric conditions.

Another important goal for Bearden’s team is to create a more sophisticated “polygenic score,” or a collection of genes that may contribute to psychosis. As genetic research progresses, future polygenic scores may become a powerful tool in early predicting and addressing mental health risks. “In a few years, we will have better polygenic scores,” Bearden says. “That would be really huge progress.”

While the study adds to the growing understanding of risk factors for psychiatric disorders, it also shows the need for ongoing research to clarify how attention issues and genetics influence mental health. With this data, mental health professionals can continue to refine their approaches to early intervention, providing better support to those at risk.

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