Schizophrenia causes hallucinations and memory or cognition problems inter alia. This psychiatric illness affects 0.5 percent of the general population, and it may be related to genetic abnormalities of chromosome 22, known as 22q11 deletion syndrome. However, not everyone who has the syndrome necessarily develops psychotic symptoms. So, what triggers the illness? Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have provided an initial answer after observing and analysing several years of patients with deletion syndrome. The scientists found that the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory and emotions, was smaller than normal but followed the same developmental curve as in healthy subjects. Yet, when the first psychotic symptoms appear—generally in adolescence—the hippocampus atrophies dramatically. The results, which you can read all about in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, open up new avenues for understanding the causes of schizophrenia.
* This article was originally published here
