Pieces of the Schizophrenia Puzzle Fall into Place

Schizophrenia is a devastating illness that affects 1% of the population worldwide. Understanding of its mechanisms was handicapped for many years by the belief that it was a “psychological” illness, even though it was originally described as a brain disease by Kraepelin and others. Research on schizophrenia has returned to its roots in neuroscience; as a consequence, the study of its mechanisms has made enormous strides in recent years. Although we are still far from a complete solution of the schizophrenia puzzle, many pieces of the pattern have begun to fall into place.