Trauma-informed care recognises that past harm can affect how a person experiences services, authority and loss of control. It emphasises safety, clear explanations, collaboration and choice wherever possible. It does not require everyone to disclose…Continue Reading
Gene–environment interaction means that the effect of a genetic difference may depend on environmental circumstances, or vice versa. Susceptibility to schizophrenia is thought to involve complex relationships between biology, development and experience. Stress, prenatal factors…Continue Reading
Dopamine signalling begins when a nerve cell releases dopamine into the space around another cell. Dopamine binds to receptors that change the receiving cell’s activity. The signal is shaped by release, receptor properties, reuptake and…Continue Reading
Prenatal brain development includes the production, migration and early organisation of nerve cells. Researchers study whether conditions during pregnancy can influence later susceptibility to schizophrenia. Areas of investigation include genetic factors, maternal health, nutrition and…Continue Reading
Dopamine-producing neurons form pathways that influence different brain regions. Common descriptions include nigrostriatal pathways involved in movement, mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways involved in motivation and cognition, and tuberoinfundibular signalling involved in prolactin regulation. These labels…Continue Reading
Childhood development includes changes in language, movement, learning and social understanding. Studies of schizophrenia sometimes identify average developmental differences before illness onset, but these findings overlap extensively with ordinary variation and other conditions. They cannot…Continue Reading
Dopamine helps the brain learn which outcomes are worth pursuing and how effort relates to reward. It contributes to prediction errors, which signal differences between expected and actual outcomes. Its role extends beyond feeling pleasure…Continue Reading
Heritability estimates how much variation in susceptibility within a studied population is associated with genetic differences. It does not describe what percentage of one person’s illness was caused by genes. Nor does a high estimate…Continue Reading
A family history of schizophrenia or related conditions can indicate increased susceptibility, but it does not mean that another relative will develop the same illness. Risk depends on the relationship and the broader family pattern…Continue Reading
Polygenic risk refers to the combined influence of many genetic variants, each usually contributing a small effect. Researchers can combine associations into a polygenic risk score. The score summarises selected genetic information relative to the…Continue Reading