LAUSR

Background 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) is associated with high risk for developing schizophrenia in adulthood while Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) constitutes the most frequent diagnosis in childhood. Individuals with 22q11.2DS show marked inattention symptoms. Interestingly, schizophrenia is also characterized by attentional deficits. This raises the question of whether childhood inattention is an antecedent of psychosis in 22q11.2DS. This is the first longitudinal study to examine whether childhood inattention is associated with the later emergence of Psychotic Experiences (PEs) and psychosis spectrum disorders in 22q11.2DS. Methods 294 individuals (mean age (SD):15.9(5.8)) completed assessments on psychotic symptoms and ADHD at two time points and did not report PEs at time 1(T1). Results Inattention symptoms and ADHD diagnosis at T1 were associated with PEs at T2 when adjusting for age, sex, IQ and assessment differences (Odds Ratio: 1.18, p=0.02). ADHD diagnosis at T1 was also associated with psychosis spectrum disorder at T2 (Odds Ratio: 4.8, p Discussion This is the first study to examine the longitudinal associations between ADHD and psychosis in 22q11.2DS. Our findings support an important role of ADHD inattention symptoms in the development of psychosis in 22q11.2DS.