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British Medical Bulletin 52:587-596 (1996)
© 1996 The British Council

research-article

Imaging as a tool in exploring the neurodevelopment and genetics of schizophrenia

Sophia Frangou and Robin M Murray

Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College School of Medicine and Dentisty and the Institute of Psychiatry London, UK

Dr Sophia Frangau, Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK

Abstract

Neuroimaging has enabled us to address questions about the timing and origin of brain abnormalities in schizophrenia. First episode and longitudinal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MR1) studies of schizophrenic patients have shown that the brain abnormalities are present at onset of psychosis and are non-progressive. Such findings supports the idea that schizophrenia is a developmental rather than a degenerative condition. Furthermore, the presence of ventriculomegaly and diminished hemispheric asymmetry in familial schizophernics and in those of their relatives who appear to be transmitting the disorder, implies involvement of the genes controlling neurodevelopment.

However, genetic factors do not fully account for the development of schizophrenia; early environmental insults such as obstetric complications are also important and may interact with gentic predisposition. Brain development continues postnatally and profound maturational events also occur in adolescence and early adulthook. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies allow the investigation of the developmenatl biochemistry of the living brain and are being used to explore the role of maturational brain events in determining the onset of psychosis.


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