IMAGING AS A TOOL IN EXPLORING THE NEURODEVELOPMENT AND GENETICS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Neuroimaging has enabled us to address questions about the timing and origin of brain abnormalities in schizophrenia. First episode and long itudinal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of schizophrenic patients have shown that the brain abnormali ties are present at onset of psychosis and ore non-progressive. Such f indings support the idea that schizophrenia is a developmental rather than a degenerative condition. Furthermore, the presence of ventriculo megaly and diminished hemispheric asymmetry in familial schizophrenics and in those of their relatives who appear to be transmitting the dis order, implies involvement of the genes controlling neurodevelopment. However, genetic factors do not fully account For the development of s chizophrenia; early environmental insults such as obstetric complicati ons are also important and may interact with genetic predisposition. B rain development continues postnatally and profound maturational event s also occur in adolescence and early adulthood. Magnetic resonance sp ectroscopy (MRS) studies allow the investigation of the developmental biochemistry of the living brain and are being used to explore the rol e of maturational brain events in determining the onset of psychosis.