Schizophrenia pathophysiology: are we any closer to a complete model?

Abstract

Schizophrenia, a severe brain disorder that involves hallucinations, disordered thinking and deficiencies in cognition, has been studied for decades in order to determine the early events that lead to this neurological disorder. In this review, we interpret the developmental and genetic models that have been proposed and treatment options associated with these models. Schizophrenia was initially thought to be hereditary based on studies of high incidence in certain families. Additionally, studies on specific genes such as ZDHHC8 and DTNBP1 seem to suggest susceptibility to the onset of this disorder. However, no single gene variation has been linked to schizophrenia, and recent evidence on sporadic cases of schizophrenia refutes genetics as being a singular cause of the disease. In addition, current data suggests neurodevelopmental or environmental causes such as viral infections and prenatal/perinatal complications. Before any brain disorder can be understood, however, multiple cognitive neuroscientific models that accommodate evidence from many biomedical research fields should be considered, and unfortunately, many of these models are in the earliest stages of development. Consequently, it makes us question whether we are any closer to an adequate understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.