Marco Armando1, Maria Carmela Padula1, Franco De Crescenzo2, Maude Schneider1, Paul Amminger3, Marie Schaer1, Stephan Eliez1; 1Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, 2Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, 3Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Background: Preliminary investigations supported the role of omega-3 polynsatured fatty acids (PUFAs) in reducing the conversion rate of psychosis. However, a recent DBRCT failed to replicate these results. A possible explanation is the heterogeneity of the population being studied. Differently, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a neurogenetic disorder considered as a homogeneous model of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of PUFAs in this homogeneous, genetically-at risk population. Methods: 74 22q11DS subjects (age range: 5 to 28 years) were included in the analysis, 33 were taking PUFAs (Omega+) and 41 were not (Omega-). Several neurocognitive measures and clinical measures were compared between the two groups. Changes in neurocognitive and psychotic symptoms scores after a 3-years follow up were further assessed. Results: Omega+ subjects showed higher IQ, working memory and verbal fluency than omega-, which in turn showed higher distractibility and impulsivity. These effects remained significant at follow up. A significant treatment-by-time interaction was evident for positive and disorganised symptoms scores, which decreased with time only in omega+ subjects. Moreover, omega+ group showed a lower risk of developing a UHR status (11% vs. 20% in omega-) and lower conversion rates (0% vs. 6.7%) than omega-. Conclusion: Our study represents the first investigation of the effect of PUFAs in subjects with 22q11DS. We detected preliminary evidences for a positive, long-term effect of PUFAs on neurocognitive functions and psychotic symptoms scores as well as their efficacy in reducing the risk of conversion to psychosis.
