Translation From Genes to Mechanism in Schizophrenia: Are Immune–Synaptic Interactions the Missing Link?

Abstract

Schizophrenia is associated with a striking range of biological alterations across multiple systems, suggesting that it could be considered a multisystem disorder (1). This is seen at the genetic level, where more than 200 loci implicating disparate genes implicating multiple molecular pathways have been associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia at a genome-wide significance level. It is also seen in the immune system, where a large and growing body of evidence demonstrates significant alterations in immune measures in schizophrenia (1).