A recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has uncovered new insights into how childhood attention span issues, combined with genetic factors, may influence the risk of developing serious psychiatric conditions like psychosis or schizophrenia later in life. However, the researchers emphasize that while these factors are linked to heightened risk, they do not guarantee future psychiatric illness.

Lead researcher Dr Carrie Bearden, a professor at UCLA’s Semel Institute and Brain Research Institute, explains, “If a child has a genetic predisposition combined with attention issues early on, we don’t yet know the specific long-term outcomes or who might be resilient despite underlying risks.” Bearden points out that the trajectory from childhood attention difficulties to psychotic symptoms in adolescence or early adulthood requires further research for a clearer understanding.

The study, published in Nature Mental Health, analyzed cognitive, genetic, and brain data from over 10,000 children, following them for an average of six years from around age nine into their teen years. Researchers examined the links between attention span issues in childhood, genetic factors, and the likelihood of a child experiencing psychotic symptoms as they mature. Psychosis is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as a mental state marked by a significant loss of contact with reality, where an individual may struggle to differentiate between what is real and what is not.

According to the findings, childhood attention span issues were associated with 4 per cent to 16 per cent of the relationship 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 piece of the puzzle.

Study co-author Sarah Chang, a neuroscience graduate student at UCLA’s Semel Institute, notes that while attention issues appear to play a role, they do not fully explain the pathway from genetic predisposition to psychotic symptoms. “If attention completely explained the relationship between genetic predisposition and psychotic-like experiences, that percentage would be 100 per cent,” Chang explains. The study’s findings highlight that psychosis has multiple risk factors, and the pathways through which these factors affect mental health are still not fully understood.

The UCLA team aims to identify additional factors that might signal vulnerability to psychiatric disorders from an early age, as this knowledge could potentially lead to new intervention strategies. Dr. Bearden notes that pinpointing these early indicators could aid in developing therapies or other preventive measures to help mitigate the onset of psychiatric conditions.

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

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 intersect and impact mental health. With this data, mental health professionals can continue to refine their approaches to early intervention, offering better support to those at risk.

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