Phenotype of schizophrenia: a review and formulation

Abstract

The discovery of the pathophysiology(ies) for schizophrenia is necessary to direct rational treatment directions for this brain disorder. Firm knowledge about this illness is limited to areas of phenomenology, clinical electrophysiology, and genetic risk; some aspects of dopamine pharmacology, cognitive symptoms, and risk genes are known. Basic questions remain about diagnostic heterogeneity, tissue neurochemistry, and in vivo brain function. It is an illness ripe for molecular characterization using a rational approach with a confirmatory strategy; drug discovery based on knowledge is the only way to advance fully effective treatments. This paper reviews the status of general knowledge in this area and proposes an approach to discovery, including identifying brain regions of dysfunction and subsequent localized, hypothesis-driven molecular screening.