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Risk factors and antecedents

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder and has been associated with many risk factors. With a heritability estimate around 80%, schizophrenia has a strong genetic component and this is reflected in the large number of genes that have been associated with the disorder. The library provides general genetic information, information on family heritability, and on environmental risk factors that have been associated with the disorder. We also include information on the antecedents of schizophrenia, which are potentially very early signs of the disorder and may help identify those at risk of developing the disorder. Click on the tabs below to access the information, or browse the drop-down menu on the left.

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Antecedents

Antecedents are physical and cognitive alterations observed in people prior to the onset of schizophrenia, usually in childhood and adolescence, and may be early indicators of illness progression. They may include motor and cognitive dysfunction, speech and hearing impairments, behavioural problems and psychopathology such as anxiety, delusions and hallucinations. Click on the tabs below to access the information, or browse via the drop-down menu on the left. Image: ©rf - stock.adobe.com

Environmental risk factors

Environmental risk factors include various prenatal and perinatal stressors, infectious agents, childhood and adulthood trauma, advanced paternal age and substance misuse. There have also been increased rates of schizophrenia in migrants and in particular ethnic minority groups. The strength of association between non-genetic factors and the subsequent development of schizophrenia is still largely unknown and the interaction effects between genetic and non-genetic factors vary from person to person. Image: ©freshidea - stock.adobe.com

Genetic risk factors

Hundreds of genes have been linked to schizophrenia, but they do not follow typical patterns of inheritance where disorders can be predicted with confidence. This is because no particular set of genes has yet been identified as causing the disorder. Click on the tabs below to access the information, or browse the drop-down menu on the left. Image: ©adimas - stock.adobe.com

NeuRA Libraries

Title Colour Legend:
Green - Topic summary is available.
Orange - Topic summary is being compiled.
Red - Topic summary has no current systematic review available.