BOGERTS TEMPOROLIMBIC SYSTEM-THEORY OF PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA - DISCUSSION

Olney and Farber present their work with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) a ntagonists, which are psychotogens, and propose that the structural ch anges described by Bogerts could be accounted for by a two-stage proce ss, The first stage of the process would occur early in life and would culminate in the selective loss of NMDA-receptor bearing gamma-aminob utyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons and thus render the brain into a NMDA receptor hypofunctional (NRH) state, Such a loss would set the foundat ion for the second stage in which the neural circuits that have been a ltered by the loss of these GABAergic interneurons would become activa ted in late adolescence but would be dysfunctional. Dysfunction of thi s circuit would lead to the psychopathology of schizophrenia and poten tially, if severe enough, to neuronal degeneration, Thus, the changes described by Bogerts could originate partially in early life and parti ally in adulthood, Based on their animal model, the authors suggest st udies that should be carried out in humans.