Neurobiology of schizophrenia. New findings from the structure to the molecules

During recent years improved methods in neuroimaging, molecular biology and genetics contributed to new insights into the neurobiology of schizophrenia. This review summarizes and discusses current findings and their impact on the pathophysiology of the disease. New magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based methods allow investigation of small subregions of the hippocampus and structural and functional connectivity analyses using multimodal imaging approaches. Volume deficits are correlated with MRI spectroscopy based data of the glutamatergic and GABAergic systems and confirm the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia. Due to detailed clinical investigations, the association between brain imaging, symptom dimensions and cognitive deficits are becoming more evident. Genome-wide microarray assessments facilitate more detailed analyses of groups of differentially expressed genes and will advance with the application of next generation sequencing (NGS) and the development of inducible pluripotent stem cells. To date a multitude of new risk genes have been detected due to genome-wide association studies, each with a small effect. Future challenges encompass the identification of their neurobiological function and impact on neuroplastic processes, brain structure and function. Based on such information, the development of innovative risk-based therapy strategies is to be expected.