Childhood pegboard task predicts adult-onset psychosis-spectrum disorder among a genetic high-risk sample

Motor abnormalities have been established as a core aspect of psychosis-spectrum disorders, with numerous studies identifying deficits prior to clinical symptom presentation. Additional research is needed to pinpoint standardized motor assessments associated with psychosis-spectrum disorders prior to illness onset to enhance prediction and understanding of etiology. With a long history of findings among people with diagnosable psychosis-spectrum disorders, but little research conducted during the premorbid phase, pegboard tasks are a viable and understudied measure of premorbid for psychosis motor functioning. In the current study, examining data from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort, the Simultaneous Pegs Test was performed with children (n = 244, aged 10-13) at genetic high risk for psychosis (n = 94) and controls (n = 150). Findings suggest that children who eventually developed a psychosis-spectrum disorder (n = 33) were less likely to successfully complete the task within time limit relative to controls (χ2(2, N = 244) = 6.94, p = 0.03, ϕ = 0.17). Additionally, children who eventually developed a psychosis-spectrum disorder took significantly longer to complete the task relative to controls (χ2(2, N = 244) = 7.06, p = 0.03, ϕ = 0.17). As pegboard performance is thought to tap both diffuse and specific brain networks, findings suggest that pegboard tests may be useful premorbid measures of motor functioning among those on a trajectory towards a psychosis-spectrum disorder.