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Related Experiment Videos

Schizophrenia as a genetic encephalopathy.

T J Crow1

  • 1Division of Psychiatry, Northwick Park Hospital, Middlesex.

Recenti Progressi in Medicina
|November 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Schizophrenia may stem from genetic factors impacting brain development and asymmetry, potentially linked to evolutionary changes in human brain capacity. This genetic encephalopathy could explain intellectual deficits and structural brain changes observed in patients.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Schizophrenia is increasingly viewed as a genetic disorder, termed a "genetic encephalopathy".
  • Intellectual deficits and "dementia praecox" can occur in schizophrenia.
  • Early structural brain changes, such as ventricular enlargement, are observed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a genetic hypothesis for schizophrenia.
  • To investigate the role of cerebral asymmetry in schizophrenia.
  • To link schizophrenia to evolutionary changes in human brain development.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing evidence suggesting a genetic origin for schizophrenia.
  • Analysis of postmortem studies indicating selective temporal horn enlargement.
  • Hypothesizing the role of genetic determinants of cerebral asymmetry.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests schizophrenia is primarily genetic.
  • Structural brain changes, particularly left-sided temporal horn enlargement, indicate arrested development of cerebral asymmetry.
  • A specific genetic anomaly in the pseudo-autosomal region of sex chromosomes is proposed as the cause.

Conclusions:

  • Schizophrenia may arise from genetic anomalies affecting cerebral asymmetry.
  • The "cerebral dominance gene" in the pseudo-autosomal region is implicated.
  • Psychotic illness could be a byproduct of human brain evolution and increased capacity.

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