Please wait while the transcript is being prepared...
0:00
In this talk, we turn
our attention to
schizophrenia biology,
framing our discussion
around the clinical features
of schizophrenia,
including its positive,
negative and cognitive symptoms,
key neurochemical and
neurodevelopmental
models underlying the disorder,
genetic and environmental
risk factors,
and abnormalities in
specific brain regions.
We will examine how
dysfunctions in
dopamine and glutamate
neurotransmission,
impaired synaptic processes, and
disrupted brain circuits
contribute to symptoms.
Treatments will be reviewed,
noting their limitations,
especially for negative
and cognitive symptoms.
Finally, we will discuss the
need for novel therapies
and the importance of
interdisciplinary and
translational research.
Schizophrenia is a complex
psychiatric disorder
affecting about 1% of the
population worldwide.
It presents with
positive symptoms
like hallucinations
and delusions,
negative symptoms such as
flat affect and
social withdrawal,
and cognitive deficits
like impaired memory.
These symptoms fall
into three domains,
positive, negative,
and cognitive.
The course is often
chronic and remitting.
Cognitive and social abnormalities
may predate psychosis,
suggesting a
neurodevelopmental component.
Understanding schizophrenia
requires integration
of clinical,
genetic, neurochemical,
and environmental factors.
At the neurochemical level,
two main hypotheses inform
our understanding
of schizophrenia.
The dopamine and
glutamate hypothesis,
the dopamine hypothesis suggests
