Environmental risks and etiology for schizophrenia from the lens of neurodevelopment: A literature review

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder marked by positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, negative symptoms including aversion and withdrawal, and cognitive dysfunctions. Despite the preponderance of genetic influences, environmental factors have rarely been singled out in the past literature as significantly contributing to the development of the disorder. This paper focuses on major environmental risk factors, such as prenatal infections and malnutrition, urban living, childhood trauma, and substance abuse, which examines the impact from a neurodevelopmental perspective. Findings from epidemiologic and neuroimaging studies indicate that these environmental factors disrupt crucial neurodevelopmental processes and potentially increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Neuroimaging advances have provided insights into brain abnormalities associated with schizophrenia that could facilitate early diagnosis and intervention. However, further longitudinal and interdisciplinary studies are currently required to adequately understand the role of environmental factors in the etiology of schizophrenia.