Recent Advances in the Neurobiology of Schizophrenia

• Published in: Molecular interventions Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 27 - 39
• Main Authors: Miyamoto, Seiya, LaMantia, Anthony S, Duncan, Gary E, Sullivan, Patrick, Gilmore, John H, Lieberman, Jeffrey A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 01-02-2003
• Subjects: Antipsychotic Agents - pharmacology; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Biomarkers; Brain - pathology; Brain - physiopathology; Chromosome Mapping; Disease Susceptibility; Genetic Linkage; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genetic Variation; Humans; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis - methods; Risk Factors; Schizophrenia - genetics; Schizophrenia - metabolism; Schizophrenia - pathology; Schizophrenia - physiopathology
• ISSN: 1534-0384; 1543-2548
• DOI: 10.1124/mi.3.1.27

Despite great progress in basic schizophrenia research, the conclusive identification of specific etiological factors or pathogenic
processes in the illness has remained elusive. The convergence of modern neuroscientific studies in molecular genetics, molecular
neuropathology, neurophysiology, in vivo brain imaging, and psychopharmacology, however, indicates that we may be coming much
closer to understanding the molecular basis of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia may be a neurodevelopmental and progressive disorder
with multiple biochemical abnormalities involving the dopaminergic, serotonin, glutamate, and γ -aminobutyric acidergic systems.
In the near future, biological markers for the illness may come from the combination of diverse assessment techniques. An
understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia will be essential to the discovery of preventive measures and therapeutic
intervention. Rapidly advancing research into schizophrenia includes diverse etiological hypotheses, and offers directions
for future research and treatments.