Mathematical Models in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe and complex mental disorder that causes an enormous societal and financial burden. Our current understanding of schizophrenia is very fragmented, and the disease is still regarded as an enigma even though its main features have been recognized for centuries. When the post-genomic era arrived, high-throughput instruments and methods ushered in an explosion in the generation of large datasets. This rich information began to facilitate the development of mathematical models, and these models are beginning to show the potential of propelling schizophrenia research onto a new, quantitative level. As schizophrenia is a complex disease that involves uncounted biological processes, there is no complete model which covers even the majority of aspects pertaining to schizophrenia. Instead, every currently available model focuses on a certain aspect of the disease. In this chapter, we review mathematical models of schizophrenia according to their mathematical foundation and structure, as well as the phenomenon they represent. Thus, an outline of mathematical modeling practices in schizophrenia is presented for biologists, psychiatrists, and clinicians. In the future, mathematical models may be expected to provide valuable guidance in the long-term investigation of complex diseases like schizophrenia.