Related Experiment Videos
The link between schizophrenia and substance use disorder: A unifying hypothesis
Jibran Y Khokhar1, Lucas L Dwiel1, Angela M Henricks1
1Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, United States.
Schizophrenia Research
|April 19, 2017
Summary
Genetic factors for schizophrenia may increase vulnerability to substance use disorders. Early substance use in adolescence could heighten psychosis risk and worsen outcomes in schizophrenia patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
Background:
- Substance use disorders (SUDs) are common in schizophrenia, worsening patient prognosis.
- The precise mechanisms underlying SUDs in schizophrenia remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a unifying hypothesis for the co-occurrence of schizophrenia and SUDs.
- To integrate evidence from epidemiological, genetic, neuroimaging, and preclinical studies.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing research.
- Formulation of a hypothesis integrating genetic, developmental, and neurobiological factors.
Main Results:
- Genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may confer vulnerability to SUDs.
- This vulnerability may precede psychosis onset, with adolescent substance use acting as a risk factor for both SUDs and psychosis.
Conclusions:
- Genetic determinants for schizophrenia are implicated in SUD vulnerability.
- Adolescent substance use may be a critical factor in the development and exacerbation of co-occurring schizophrenia and SUDs.
- Prospective studies of adolescent brain circuitry are needed to understand mechanisms and identify interventions.