[Genetic and biologic aspects of schizophrenias]

The results of investigations into the causes of schizophrenia--especially twin studies and adoption studies--support a genetic component to the transmission of schizophrenia. The exact mode of inheritance is still unknown. That what is inherited is probably a general tendency or disposition to psychopathology. Factors in the environment then elicit these tendencies or dispositions. The results of the biochemical investigations of schizophrenia and the consistent antidopamine effect of all antipsychotic agents support the idea that the dopamine synaptic neurotransmission may play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.