Brief Report: Intact Cognitive Functions in Children and Adolescents of Parents With Mood Disorders

ObjectivesWe aimed to identify if offspring of a parent with mood disorders presented cognitive deficits on 14 cognitive subtests while controlling for intellectual quotient, anxio-depressive symptoms, symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or insomnia.MethodsUsing the Healthy Brain Network biobank, we identified 44 offspring of a parent with bipolar disorder (BD), 87 offspring of a parent with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 88 offspring of healthy parents. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were performed to determine if groups differed on 14 subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-5th Edition (WISC) and National Institutes of Health toolbox.ResultsAcross all subtests, groups did not significantly differ. Only a subtle effect was found for male participants in which high-risk participants exhibited lower scores on the mental rotation subtest compared to the control group.ConclusionOverall, our results suggest intact cognition in young offspring of parents with a mood disorder.