title: Schizophrenia.
abstract: Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder with a heterogeneous genetic and neurobiological background that influences early brain development, and is expressed as a combination of psychotic symptoms - such as hallucinations, delusions and disorganization - and motivational and cognitive dysfunctions. The mean lifetime prevalence of the disorder is just below 1%, but large regional differences in prevalence rates are evident owing to disparities in urbanicity and patterns of immigration. Although gross brain pathology is not a characteristic of schizophrenia, the disorder involves subtle pathological changes in specific neural cell populations and in cell-cell communication. Schizophrenia, as a cognitive and behavioural disorder, is ultimately about how the brain processes information. Indeed, neuroimaging studies have shown that information processing is functionally abnormal in patients with first-episode and chronic schizophrenia. Although pharmacological treatments for schizophrenia can relieve psychotic symptoms, such drugs generally do not lead to substantial improvements in social, cognitive and occupational functioning. Psychosocial interventions such as cognitive-behavioural therapy, cognitive remediation and supported education and employment have added treatment value, but are inconsistently applied. Given that schizophrenia starts many years before a diagnosis is typically made, the identification of individuals at risk and those in the early phases of the disorder, and the exploration of preventive approaches are crucial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: René S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Iris E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: University of Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer-Lindenberg
authors.affiliation: Lieber Institute for Brain Development and Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuroscience and The Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Weinberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Tyrone D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Cannon
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Psychiatric Genetics and Genomics and Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Donovan
authors.affiliation: Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Hempstead, New York, USA.|The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Christoph U
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Correll
authors.affiliation: Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Hempstead, New York, USA.|The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, New York, USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, King's Health Partners, London, UK.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Os
authors.affiliation: US National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Insel
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents