Disturbed synaptic connectivity in schizophrenia: convergence of genetic risk factors during neurodevelopment

Abstract

The pathological mechanisms underlying schizophrenia are unclear. Although genetic susceptibility factors for schizophrenia likely influence neurodevelopmental processes, the onset of the disease is in adolescence and young adulthood. Here we review recent literatures implicating neurodevelopmental deficits in schizophrenia and discuss how genetic factors are involved in the processes toward onset of the disease. We emphasize the importance of postnatal glutamate synapse development in the pathology of the disorder. These genetic risk factors contribute to the process possibly in a synergistic manner. The notion of signal pathways involving more than one genetic factor is in accord with the multifactorial nature of schizophrenia.