Cited by 860Schizophrenia research and treatmentTryptophan and brain disordersMental Health and Psychiatry

The Neurodevelopmental Hypothesis of Schizophrenia, Revisited

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Fatemi, S. H., Folsom, T. D.·2009·Schizophrenia Bulletin

Abstract

While multiple theories have been put forth regarding the origin of schizophrenia, by far the vast majority of evidence points to the neurodevelopmental model in which developmental insults as early as late first or early second trimester lead to the activation of pathologic neural circuits during adolescence or young adulthood leading to the emergence of positive or negative symptoms. In this report, we examine the evidence from brain pathology (enlargement of the cerebroventricular system, changes in gray and white matters, and abnormal laminar organization), genetics (changes in the normal expression of proteins that are involved in early migration of neurons and glia, cell proliferation, axonal outgrowth, synaptogenesis, and apoptosis), environmental factors (increased frequency of obstetric complications and increased rates of schizophrenic births due to prenatal viral or bacterial infections), and gene-environmental interactions (a disproportionate number of schizophrenia candidate genes are regulated by hypoxia, microdeletions and microduplications, the overrepresentation of pathogen-related genes among schizophrenia candidate genes) in support of the neurodevelopmental model. We relate the neurodevelopmental model to a number of findings about schizophrenia. Finally, we also examine alternate explanations of the origin of schizophrenia including the neurodegenerative model.

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Authors
Fatemi, S. H., & Folsom, T. D.
Affiliations
University of Minnesota (US)
Venue
Schizophrenia Bulletin
Published
2009-03-30
Volume
35
Issue
3
Pages
528-548
ISSN
  • 0586-7614 (ISSN-L)
  • 1745-1701
OpenAlex
W2132748057
Cited by
860
References
222
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 43 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 61 · 2015: 53 · 2014: 55 · 2013: 76 · 2012: 66
FWCI
8.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Schizophrenia Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD046589)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
Keywords
schizophrenia, neurodevelopmental hypothesis
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Animals, Brain, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Mutation, Nerve Net, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Risk Factors, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenic Psychology, Virus Diseases, Gene Expression, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis, Young Adult

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