Schizophrenia and Brain Networks

Schizophrenia is a brain disconnection syndrome involving abnormal interactions between widespread networks.Genetic and non-genetic mechanisms are thought to interact affecting the developing brain resulting in a predisposition to suffer schizophrenia.We did a review of current data of research emphasizing on white matter abnormalities mainly punctual axonal disorganization in many pathways and reduction of total number of neurons in different parts of the brain, brainstem and/or cerebellum.Finally we consider: (i) hypoactivation of dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices from thalamic reticular and mediodorsal thalamus impairing the normal streaming of working memory and causing cognitive disorder, (ii) hyperactivation of hippocampal pyramidal neurons provoking hyperdopaminergic subcortical outbursts giving rise to positive symptoms like paranoid delusions and auditory visual hallucinations and (iii) inefficiency of salience networks linked to diminished population of Von Economo spindle neurons in anterior cingulate cortex and reduction of gray matter in anterior insula which can be linked with negative symptoms, aberrancies in default-mode network and self-face recognition disorder.