Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental disorder that appears in 1% of the population. The abnormal neurotransmission of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), dopamine, noradrenalin, and altered neuroendocrine function are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Peripheral biochemical markers might be used to improve the understanding of the underlying neurobiology of schizophrenia, for the preclinical screening, diagnosis, disease staging, and monitoring of treatment....
More DescriptionSchizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental disorder that appears in 1% of the population. The abnormal neurotransmission of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), dopamine, noradrenalin, and altered neuroendocrine function are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Peripheral biochemical markers might be used to improve the understanding of the underlying neurobiology of schizophrenia, for the preclinical screening, diagnosis, disease staging, and monitoring of treatment. Since there are striking similarities how both central nervous system and platelets store and metabolise 5-HT, blood platelets have been widely used as a peripheral model for the central serotonergic synaptosomes. The dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and altered secretion of prolactin (PRL) and plasma lipids levels are frequently found in schizophrenia.