The neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia

by Dr Brendan Kelly

The neurodevelopmental model of schizophreniaRecent decades have seen the accumulation of substantial evidence to support the idea that disturbances to the development of the brain and nervous system during gestation increase the risk of schizophrenia: this is the ‘neurodevelopmental theory of schizophrenia’ (Murray et al, 1992; Weinberger, 1996).

 

Multiple lines of evidence have been developed to support this theory, including studies based on evidence of disturbed craniofacial development, neurological soft signs, dermatoglyphic anomalies, and other indices of prenatal disturbances to neural development.

 

This module aims to explore these specific lines of evidence and to examine how they might be integrated into a ‘life-course’ approach to the aetiology of schizophrenia.

 

 

 

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