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18 - X chromosome, estrogen, and brain development: implications for schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2010

Michael Craig
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK
William Cutter
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK
Ray Norbury
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK
Declan Murphy
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK
Matcheri S. Keshavan
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
James L. Kennedy
Affiliation:
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto
Robin M. Murray
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
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Summary

The neurodevelopmental theory is now regarded by many psychiatrists as a dominant explanatory model of schizophrenia. In order to evaluate this model critically, it is important to understand how the normal brain develops and changes across the lifespan. The important factors, reviewed in this chapter, include the sex chromosomes and sex steroids. The chapter offers evidence that sex chromosomes and sex steroids (in particular estrogen) significantly modulate the structure and function of normal brain, and this is considered when forming developmental theories of schizophrenia, when attempting to explain sex differences in schizophrenia, and when considering the role of sex steroids in the genesis and treatment of schizophrenia. It suggests that estrogen and the chromosome play a modulatory role in brain maturation, and their mechanism of action needs to be understood in order to place the neurodevelopmental theory of schizophrenia in context.

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