Schizophrenia: from the genetic localization to the cellular mechanism

Schizophrenia undoubtedly has an inheritable component and some genes for susceptibility for schizophrenia have been discovered. An intriguing question is whether there is any coherence between the function of these genes and neurotransmitter dysfunction in schizophrenia, such as dopamine and serotonin hyperactivity as well as glutamate and GABA hypoactivity in the mesolimbic system. The genes neuregulin-1 and dysbindin-1 are linked to glutamate hypoactivity. The gene encoding reduced COMT activity causes increasing dopamine activities due to a weaker inhibition of its deactivation. The gene GAD 67 results in re…