The neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia provides a framework for understanding how OCs interact with the developing brain to increase the likelihood of schizophrenia in late adolescence and early adulthood. In normal development,…

OCs have been linked to the etiology of schizophrenia since the 1960s when Lane and Albee (1966) first observed that birthweights of 52 patients with schizophrenia were lower than…

An array of models has been proposed to explain how OCs contribute to the causes of schizophrenia. We cover the most prominent models in schizophrenia research and discuss…

A few specific pregnancy and perinatal factors were associated with the subsequent development of psychotic disorder, particularly schizophrenia, in early adult life. The association of small size for gestational age…

Although early schizophrenia researchers such as Bleuler and Kraepelin insisted that schizophrenia is, at its core, a disease caused by biological factors, many others believed that schizophrenia was caused by the family. Today,…

When scientists study how the brains of people with mental illness are different, they are commonly interested in two issues: brain structure and function. Researchers can study structure by comparing the brain anatomy in…

In the past, researchers could only examine the brain after a patient died. Now, there is technology that allows researchers to examine the brains of living people. New techniques, including magnetic resonance imaging…

When we think of a child’s “environment,”  we tend to think of their family and friends.  In fact,  our first “environment”  is inside the womb. The nine months during which a baby…

Why are some twin pairs concordant for schizophrenia whereas others are not? There must be factors other than genes that contribute to the development of schizophrenia. Another creative way of studying heredity is through adoption…

Why do some people develop schizophrenia rather than others? Risk factors are the characteristics that may make a person more likely than others to develop a disorder like schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is caused by…

The causes of schizophrenia are not known. However, an interplay of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors are thought to be involved. We do not yet understand all the causes and other issues involved, but…