Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review of Etiopathogenetic, Diagnostic and Treatment Aspects

Abstract

Although schizophrenia is currently conceptualized as being characterized as a syndrome that includes a collection of signs and symptoms, there is strong evidence of heterogeneous and complex underpinned etiological, etiopathogenetic, and psychopathological mechanisms, which are still under investigation. Therefore, the present viewpoint review is aimed at providing some insights into the recently investigated schizophrenia research fields in order to discuss the potential future research directions in schizophrenia research. The traditional schizophrenia construct and diagnosis were progressively revised and revisited, based on the recently emerging neurobiological, genetic, and epidemiological research. Moreover, innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are pointed to build a new construct, allowing the development of better clinical and treatment outcomes and characterization for schizophrenic individuals, considering a more patient-centered, personalized, and tailored-based dimensional approach. Further translational studies are needed in order to integrate neurobiological, genetic, and environmental studies into clinical practice and to help clinicians and researchers to understand how to redesign a new schizophrenia construct.

Neuroinflammation and Schizophrenia: New Therapeutic Strategies through Psychobiotics, Nanotechnology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

“…The reduction in life expectancy of individuals with schizophrenia can be attributed to factors such as suicide and the presence of concurrent medical and mental illnesses, including substance use disorders with prevalence rates up to 41%. Additionally, a chaotic lifestyle, an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and the side effects of antipsychotic treatments contribute to the increased incidence of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases [26].…”

Effectiveness of Recovery-Oriented cognitive therapy on Emotion Recognition and Quality of Life in Patients with Schizophrenia

“…chizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects over 21 million people worldwide and often leads to chronic disability and disruptions in cognitive, social, and emotional functioning (1). Currently, schizophrenia is recognized by a range of symptoms, including positive symptoms (such as delusions and hallucinations), negative symptoms (including anhedonia, poverty of speech, avolition, and social S withdrawal), and cognitive symptoms (such as deficits in attention, processing speed, verbal learning, visuospatial learning, problem-solving, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) (2,3).…”

“…Currently, schizophrenia is recognized by a range of symptoms, including positive symptoms (such as delusions and hallucinations), negative symptoms (including anhedonia, poverty of speech, avolition, and social S withdrawal), and cognitive symptoms (such as deficits in attention, processing speed, verbal learning, visuospatial learning, problem-solving, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) (2,3). This disorder may occur due to genetic factors, neurodevelopmental factors, pathological changes in brain regions, immune system dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and abnormalities in neurotransmitter pathways, including dopaminergic and glutamatergic pathways (1,4). Patients with schizophrenia are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, endocrine disorders, immune diseases, and particularly, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (5)(6)(7).…”

The altered network complexity of resting-state functional brain activity in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients

“…Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) are two of the most frequent serious mental disorders. SZ is caused by aberrant neurotransmitters in the brain, which manifests as delusions and cognitive deficits [1]. Mania and depression alternate in bipolar disorder [2].…”