Schizophrenia Symptoms Linked to an Overactive Region of the Brain
Targeting the hippocampus might help relieve the symptoms
Article via LabRoots
Neuroscientists have found a link between hotspots of brain overactivity and specific symptoms of schizophrenia. The University of Nottingham researchers were interested in how these localized regions of overactive neural signaling were linked to manifestations of schizophrenia such as conditioned fear.
This overactivity stemmed in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. Named after the Greek word for ‘seahorse,’ the hippocampus plays a central role in spatial navigation as well as the transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory storage. In neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, hippocampal function takes a hit, with short-term memory loss and disorientation featuring as some of the earliest symptoms.
In a series of experiments performed in rats, the researchers discovered that GABAergic inhibition (or blocking a neurotransmitter in the hippocampus) was closely tied to conditioned fear. In this symptom of schizophrenia, individuals experience lulls in motivation and disrupted emotional and reward processing.
Some of the most well-characterized negative symptoms of schizophrenia include an inability to express…
