Abnormal phospholipid metabolism in schizophrenia: evidence from epidemiological findings, clinical observations, and preliminary clinical trials.

Abstract

Both epidemiological findings and clinical observations and have shaped our thinking as regards to the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Epidemiological findings implicating environmental risk factors, including maternal dietary deficiency and urban birth place, suggest schizophrenia is a developmental disorder, whereas clinical observations gave rise to the "dopamine hypothesis." Epidemiological findings lead to complex multifactorial models, while clinical observations lead to more readily to testable, but not necessarily generalizable, hypotheses. Points where findings from these different approaches converge may provide us with new insights and points of departure. In this paper, clinical observations and epidemiological findings are presented which suggests that a subgroup of schizophrenics have abnormalities in phospholipid metabolism. Preliminary clinical trials involving administration of omega-3 fatty acids thus far appear to support this hypothesis.