Foetal development and schizophrenia: evidence from post mortem research
Post mortem research has, thusfar, provided little or no consistent evidence for a dopaminergic pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The evidence, instead, points to an affection of the limbic allocortex, particularly of the entorhinal cortex. The type of abnormalities that are found and the absence of gliosis, or a gliotic scar, make a 'late' injury unlikely and point, instead, in the direction of an ontogenetic disturbance. It is probable that the intricate connections between the affected allocortical areas and the frontal association areas would result in a secondary disturbance of the connectional development and adult physiology of the latter areas. Imperative for further research of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia is an increased availability of post mortem material with a short post mortem delay and a good clinical diagnosis. For biochemical studies, material from relatively young schizophrenics is needed, in order to avoid effects of long term pharmacotherapy.