Interaction between the brain and multiple organ systems in schizophrenia.
Jin Lin1,2, Si-Tong Feng1,2, Zi-Yao Wu1,2
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Medical Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China.
World Journal of Psychiatry
|August 21, 2025
Summary
Schizophrenia involves more than just the brain, with inter-organ communication impacting its development and progression. Understanding these connections offers new insights into schizophrenia's complex nature.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Schizophrenia presents with psychotic, negative, and cognitive symptoms.
- Its causes are multifactorial, including genetic, endocrine, and immune factors.
- Traditionally, schizophrenia is linked solely to brain alterations, overlooking organ interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the relationship between the brain and multiple organ systems in schizophrenia.
- To highlight the role of inter-organ crosstalk in schizophrenia's pathophysiology.
- To offer novel perspectives on schizophrenia's underlying mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing studies.
- Analysis of evidence on inter-organ communication in schizophrenia.
- Synthesis of findings on the autonomic, endocrine, and immune systems' roles.
Main Results:
- Abnormal brain-organ interactions are increasingly evident in schizophrenia patients.
- Inter-organ crosstalk significantly influences schizophrenia onset, course, and management.
- Complex interplay between nervous, endocrine, and immune systems contributes to schizophrenia.
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenia involves complex interactions between the brain and other organs.
- Understanding inter-organ crosstalk is crucial for novel therapeutic strategies.
- This review provides a comprehensive overview of brain-organ relationships in schizophrenia.
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