What Is the Neural Basis of Schizophrenia?

The neural basis of schizophrenia may involve an imbalance of neurotransmitters and abnormal brain structures. According to MayoClinic.com, the causes of schizophrenia are not completely understood. Schizophrenia may be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and neurological factors. Different symptoms of schizophrenia may be caused by different neurological dysfunctions.

Schizophrenia

• Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder. Schizophrenia has positive, negative, cognitive and affective symptoms. Positive symptoms--meaning present in patients with schizophrenia, but not in the population at large--include hallucinations, delusions and disorganized thoughts, speech and behavior. Negative symptoms include lack of expression, lack of motivation and withdrawal from social situations. Cognitive symptoms are disturbances in thought processes, such as memory problems, difficulty concentrating and difficulty utilizing new information. Affective symptoms are disturbances of emotion and mood, such as inappropriate displays of emotion, depression and mood swings.

Neurology

• Neurology is the medical field concerned with the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and nerves. According to research published in 1999 in the "American Journal of Psychiatry," schizophrenia is characterized by "neurological abnormalities"; however, the significance of neurological abnormalities in schizophrenia patients is unclear.

Neurotransmitters

• Schizophrenia may be caused, in part, by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters facilitate communication between nerves and other nerves, organs, muscles and tissues. According to BrainExplorer.org, excessive amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine are associated with schizophrenia. Serotonin, glutamate, gamma aminobutyric acid and acetylcholine are other neurotransmitters that may play a role in the development of schizophrenia.

Brain Structure

• The neural basis of schizophrenia may involve structural abnormalities of the forebrain, hindbrain and limbic system, according to BrainExplorer.org. Research published in the journal "European Psychiatry" in 2009 suggests reduced gray matter density in parts of the brain may be a factor in causing the symptoms of disorganized thought, speech and behavior among schizophrenia patients. Structural abnormalities of the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus and cerebellum may also contribute to schizophrenia.

Considerations

• According to research published in 2006 in the "Archives of General Psychiatry," memory problems among those with schizophrenia may be attributed to decreased brain activity in the right parietal cortex and left hippocampus. Diminished activity of the amygdala may account for some abnormal emotional responses in schizophrenia patients, according to research published in the "American Journal of Psychiatry" in 2003. Decreased activity in the inferior frontal cortex and the ventral premotor cortex may be a causal factor of negative symptoms of schizophrenia, according to a study published in 2009 in the journal "Neuroscience Letters."