Am J Psychiatry 159:713-719, May 2002
© 2002 American Psychiatric Association
Schizophrenia: Reproductive Hormones and the Brain
Janice R. Stevens, M.D.
OBJECTIVE: Onset of schizophrenia occurs during the reproductive period in more than 80% of those affected. The author reviews neuroendocrine and physiologic events that occur in the basal forebrain at the initiation of and throughout the reproductive period and proposes their possible relationship to the onset of schizophrenia. METHOD: The neuroendocrine changes that occur in specific areas of the anterior basal forebrain during the reproductive period are reviewed and analyzed in relation to reported anatomic, molecular, and biochemical pathologies of schizophrenia. RESULTS: The reproductive period is associated with development of regular pulsatile release in the brain and bloodstream of gonadotropic releasing hormones from the hypothalamus, luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormones from the pituitary, and gonadal hormones from the ovaries and testes. In addition to being concentrated in the hypothalamus, brain receptors for gonadotropic and gonadal hormones are concentrated in specific subcortical forebrain nuclei of the limbic system that project to the thalamus and to cortical and subcortical structures that subserve perception, cognition, and behavior. CONCLUSIONS: There is a flood of estrogen and testosterone to the brain and body during puberty and throughout the reproductive period. To avoid hyperexcitability and seizures, the surge of these excitatory hormones must be counterbalanced by appropriate inhibitory factors. Excessive focal inhibition may be induced by increased release of or increased receptors for one or more inhibitory transmitters, e.g., dopamine, serotonin, and  -aminobutyric acid in the anterior basal forebrain. Further investigation of the physiology and pathology of this brain region, where abnormal electrical activity was recorded from individuals with schizophrenia many years ago and where dopamine D2 and dopamine D3 receptors targeted by the most effective antipsychotic agents are maximally expressed, could lead to greater understanding of the critical pathophysiology for development of schizophrenia.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
J. S. Brown Jr.
Effects of Bisphenol-A and Other Endocrine Disruptors Compared With Abnormalities of Schizophrenia: An Endocrine-Disruption Theory of Schizophrenia
Schizophr Bull,
January 1, 2009;
35(1):
256 - 278.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
N. Bergemann, P. Parzer, S. Jaggy, B. Auler, C. Mundt, and S. Maier-Braunleder
Estrogen and Comprehension of Metaphoric Speech in Women Suffering From Schizophrenia: Results of a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Schizophr Bull,
November 1, 2008;
34(6):
1172 - 1181.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. A. Frazier, S. M. Hodge, J. L. Breeze, A. J. Giuliano, J. E. Terry, C. M. Moore, D. N. Kennedy, M. P. Lopez-Larson, V. S. Caviness, L. J. Seidman, et al.
Diagnostic and Sex Effects on Limbic Volumes in Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia
Schizophr Bull,
January 1, 2008;
34(1):
37 - 46.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. J. Carter
EIF2B and Oligodendrocyte Survival: Where Nature and Nurture Meet in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia?
Schizophr Bull,
November 1, 2007;
33(6):
1343 - 1353.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. K. Manji, I. I. Gottesman, and T. D. Gould
Signal Transduction and Genes-to-Behaviors Pathways in Psychiatric Diseases
Sci. Signal.,
November 4, 2003;
2003(207):
pe49 - pe49.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Heimer
A New Anatomical Framework for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Drug Abuse
Am J Psychiatry,
October 1, 2003;
160(10):
1726 - 1739.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. J. Moberg, S. E. Arnold, R. L. Doty, C. Kohler, S. Kanes, S. Seigel, R. E. Gur, and B. I. Turetsky
Impairment of Odor Hedonics in Men With Schizophrenia
Am J Psychiatry,
October 1, 2003;
160(10):
1784 - 1789.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
Get information about faster international access.
Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2002
American Psychiatric Association.
All rights reserved.
Home
| Search
| Current Issue
| Past Issues
| Subscribe
| All APPI Journals
| Help
| Contact Us
|
