Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Medical Student Research Clinical

35 PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITIES AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE OUTCOMES IN ADULTS WITH NEUROFIBROMATOSIS TYPE 1

M. Hamsini Oruganti, OMS-II; Priyansh Shorey, OMS-II; Corrin Lundquist, OMS-II; Ancy Abraham, MD Corresponding author: moruganti@vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

and lower quality-of-life scores than controls, and that psychiatric burden will differ between pediatric and adult NF1 populations. Methods: We will conduct a retrospective cohort study using two large national databases: All of Us Researcher Workbench and the Children's Tumor Foundation NF Registry. Inclusion criteria include individuals aged 18 years and older with a confirmed diagnosis of NF1 identified using ICD-10 codes and registry-confirmed clinical criteria. Psychiatric outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and ADHD, will be extracted from these datasets. Prevalence of these disorders in individuals without a diagnosis of NF1 will also be collected to serve as a control group, providing information on the true impact of these disorders on the NF1 population. Exclusion criteria include individuals with a neurofibromatosis-related condition, such as NF2 or tuberous sclerosis, as well as participants identified as American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) due to data-set-specific access restrictions. Quality of life measures will be obtained from patient reported outcomes through the registry, specifically the PROMIS survey. Statistical analysis will be performed using RStudio. We will conduct descriptive statistics, logistic and linear regression modeling, and subgroup comparisons between an NF1 and a non-NF1 population with psychiatric conditions.

Context: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a congenital disorder with understudied adult neuropsychiatric sequelae. While pediatric studies have documented the psychiatric impact of NF1, such as elevated rates of ADHD, anxiety, and depression (Martin et al., 2012; Hou et al., 2025), far less is known about how these conditions persist into adulthood. Limited adult research points to high rates of depression, anxiety, and a reduced quality of life, but a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of these psychiatric conditions in adults with NF1 remains to be studied (Brar et al., 2023; Cohen et al., 2015). Specifically, studies in adolescents with NF1 and ADHD have found negative effects on cognition and academic performance (Pride et al., 2012). Due to the longitudinal nature of ADHD, symptoms of executive dysfunction can negatively affect cognition and performance into adulthood, further emphasizing the need to understand the impact of these conditions on a patient's quality of life. Objective and/or Hypothesis: To determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD among adults with NF1 and to evaluate the impact of these psychiatric conditions on quality of life compared with pediatric NF1 patients and non-NF1 controls. We hypothesize that adults with NF1 will exhibit a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders

Results: This study is currently in progress, and the results are pending. Conclusion: Upon completion of data collection and analysis, we aim to identify whether additional supportive measures for this specific patient population are warranted. If individuals with NF1 display an increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders compared to controls alongside quantitative measures of reduced quality of life, these findings would provide healthcare providers with a framework to incorporate more holistic, integrated treatment practices that address the full scope of care for NF1 patients with psychiatric comorbidities.

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205 2026 Research Recognition Day