Cortical Development and Thalamic Pathology in Schizophrenia

In this article, morphological data suggesting that brain development may be altered in schizophrenia are reviewed in relation to the major events in neural development. In the absence of severe defects in brain structure in individuals with schizophrenia, developmental processes governing the establishment, refinement, and maintenance of connections are potential sites of pathological involvement. Alterations in connectional patterns are likely to result in activity-dependent changes in gene expression for molecules involved in the neurotransmission process, with functional consequences. Loss of cells in the thalamus may be primary or secondary to cortical or other subcortical pathology. Loss of thalamic cells and/or of corticothalamic inputs could lead to disintegration of thought processes by a failure in functional brain states dependent on collective oscillation of large ensembles of cortical and thalamic neurons.