Decanalization, brain development and risk of schizophrenia

J. J. McGrath*, A. J. Hannan, G. Gibson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Waddington's original description of canalization refers to the ability of an organism to maintain phenotypic fidelity in the face of environmental and/or genetic perturbation. Development of the human brain requires exposure to a 'wild-type' environment- one that supports the optimal set of instructions for development. Recently derived brain structures in our species, such as the expanded neocortex, may be more vulnerable to decanalization because there has been insufficient time to evolve buffering capacity. On the basis of modern notions of decanalization, we provide perspectives on selected environmental and genetic risk factors for schizophrenia, and we discuss strengths and weaknesses of this conceptual framework. We argue that if we are to build a solid foundation for translational psychiatry, we must explore models that attempt to capture the complexity of the interaction between genetic and non-genetic risk factors in mediating and modulating brain development.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere14
Pages (from-to)1-6
Number of pages6
JournalTranslational Psychiatry
Volume1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Jun 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Environmental risk factors
  • Neurodevelopment
  • Schizophrenia

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Decanalization, brain development and risk of schizophrenia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this