Phenotypic and Genetic Associations Between Preschool Fine Motor Skills and Later Neurodevelopment, Psychopathology, and Educational Achievement

Aislinn Bowler; Tomoki Arichi; Pasco Fearon; Emma Meaburn; Jannath Begum-Ali; Greg Pascoe; Mark Johnson; Emily J H Jones; Angelica Rachel Ronald

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.11.017

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Phenotypic and Genetic Associations Between Preschool Fine Motor Skills and Later Neurodevelopment, Psychopathology, and Educational Achievement

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Phenotypic and Genetic Associations Between Preschool Fine Motor Skills and Later Neurodevelopment, Psychopathology, and Educational Achievement

Aislinn Bowler, Tomoki Arichi, Pasco Fearon, Emma Meaburn, Jannath Begum-Ali, Greg Pascoe, Mark Johnson, Emily J H Jones and Angelica Rachel Ronald

Biological Psychiatry

01/12/2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.11.017

PMID: 38043695

Abstract

Childhood

Motor

Neurodevelopment

Education

Psychiatry

Background Fine motor skills are heritable and comprise important milestones in development, and some evidence suggests that impairments in fine motor skills are associated with neurodevelopmental conditions, psychiatric disorders, and poor educational outcomes. Methods In a preregistered study of 9625 preschool children from TEDS (Twins Early Development Study), fine motor assessments (drawing, block building, folding, and questionnaires) were conducted at 2, 3, and 4 years of age. A cross-age fine motor score was derived using principal component analysis. Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between the fine motor score and neurodevelopmental traits, psychopathology, and educational outcomes at 3 later ages (7/8, 12, and 16 years) and cross-age psychopathology composite scores. Polygenic scores (PGSs) were created for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, schizophrenia, anxiety, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and years of education. We ran single-PGS models and a multi-PGS model. Results Fine motor skills were negatively associated with neurodevelopmental traits and psychopathology across childhood and adolescence and positively associated with educational achievement in adolescence (β = 0.25, p < .001). Superior fine motor skills were associated with a higher years-of-education PGS (β = 0.07, p < .001), a lower ADHD PGS (β = −0.04, p = .011), and a higher anxiety PGS (β = 0.03, p = .040). Similarly, the multi-PGS model retained the PGSs for years of education (β = 0.07), ADHD (β = −0.03), and anxiety (β = 0.01). A non-preregistered analysis in an independent preschool sample replicated the ADHD PGS association, but not the years of education or anxiety PGS associations. Conclusions Fine motor skills are linked genetically and phenotypically to later neurodevelopment, psychopathology, and educational outcomes. Future work should investigate the mechanisms that underlie the role of fine motor development in later outcomes.

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Title: Phenotypic and Genetic Associations Between Preschool Fine Motor Skills and Later Neurodevelopment, Psychopathology, and Educational Achievement
Creators: Aislinn Bowler (Author) - Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
Tomoki Arichi (Author) - Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
Pasco Fearon (Author) - Centre for Family Research, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Emma Meaburn (Author) - Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
Jannath Begum-Ali (Author) - Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
Greg Pascoe (Author) - Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
Mark Johnson (Author) - Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
Emily J H Jones (Author) - Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
Angelica Rachel Ronald (Author) - University of Surrey, School of Psychology
Publication Details: Biological Psychiatry
Publisher: Elsevier
Date published: 01/12/2023
Date accepted: 22/11/2023
Grants: European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (Belgium, Brussels) - EFPIA
MR/M021475/1, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom, London) - MRC
BRAINVIEW, 642996, European Union (Belgium, Brussels) - EU
MR/K021389/1, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom, London) - MRC
MR/V012878/1, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom, London) - MRC
MR/R015759/1, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom, London) - MRC
MR/N026063/1, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom, London) - MRC
Clinician Scientist Transition Support Award, MR/V036874/1, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom, London) - MRC
724306, Simons Foundation (United States, New York)
ES/R009368/1, Economic and Social Research Council (United Kingdom, Swindon) - ESRC
Autism Research Initiative Pilot Award Grant, 511504, Simons Foundation (United States, New York)
G0701484, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom, London) - MRC
Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking, 115300, European Union (Belgium, Brussels) - EU
Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking, 777394, European Union (Belgium, Brussels) - EU
Grant note: TEDS is supported by UK Medical Research Council (Grant No. MR/V012878/1 and previously by Grant No. MR/M021475/1), with additional support from US National Institutes of Health (Grant No. AG046938). AB received support from a Medical Research Council studentship (MR/R015759/1 [to AR]). TA received support from the Medical Research Council Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London (MR/N026063/1) and a Clinician Scientist Transition Support Award (MR/V036874/1). AR received support from Simons Foundation (724306). The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. Any views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the funders. We gratefully acknowledge the participants and their families for their contributions to the TEDS and BASIS-STAARS studies and the contribution of Tony Charman and the BASIS-STAARS research team to the BASIS-STAARS study. For BASIS-STAARS, the genetic data collection and generation and the manuscript preparation were funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Marie Skłodowska-Curie (Grant No. 642996), Economic and Social Research Council Grant No. ES/R009368/1 (to EJHJ), and by Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative Pilot Award Grant No. 511504 (to EJHJ and EM). The experimental and behavioral data collection for BASIS-STAARS was funded by Medical Research Council Programme Grant Nos. G0701484 and MR/K021389/1, the BASIS funding consortium led by Autistica (http://www.basisnetwork.org). The behavioral data collection used in this publication has received partial funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under Grant No. 115300 for the EU-AIMS project, which receives resources from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations companies and by the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under Grant No. 777394 for the project Autism Innovative Medicine Studies (AIMS)-2-TRIALS, which receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations companies’ in-kind contributions and from Autism Speaks (#1292), Autistica, and the Simons Foundation for Autism Research Initiative.
Identifiers: 99870166402346
Academic Unit: School of Psychology
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Phenotypic and Genetic Associations Between Preschool Fine Motor Skills and Later Neurodevelopment, Psychopathology, and Educational Achievement

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