Schizophrenia’s Brain Damage May Start in One Key Region

Using specialized PET imaging, researchers have mapped where synaptic connections are most reduced in people with schizophrenia and identified a possible region from which the damage begins to spread. A Striking Left Brain ImbalanceThe scans revealed a broad reduction in synaptic connections among participants with schizophrenia. This indicates that reduced synaptic density and structural tissue loss may represent separate biological processes rather than different measurements of the same underlying damage. Why Certain Brain Regions Are VulnerableSome brain regions appeared particularly vulnerable. Tracing Where the Damage May Begin“These findings suggest that in schizophrenia, synaptic loss is not random,” Chopra said.