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Why do most researchers consider schizophrenia a brain disorder?

What evidence suggests that


schizophrenia could begin in the womb?

There are multiple things that point to schizophrenia being a biological brain disease like
Alzheimer's Disease and Bipolar Disorder. One reason that researchers consider schizophrenia a
brain disorder is because of gray matter in the brain. Research has shown that people with
schizophrenia have up to 25% less gray matter in their brains. This lack is prevalent in the
temporal and frontal lobes which are areas that are important for coordination of thinking and
judgment. Another reason that researchers consider schizophrenia a brain disorder is because
people with schizophrenia have an imbalance of the brain chemicals or neurotransmitters.
People with schizophrenia have an excess of dopamine which causes problems with things like
concentration, thought process, reality orientation, feelings and behavior. Researchers have
found evidence that leads them to believe that schizophrenia may begin as early as in the
womb. Scientists have identified disruptions in stem cells surrounding the ventricles, or brain
cavities. Scientists made organs resembling the brain, using reprogrammed skin cells from three
people with schizophrenia and four people without. After some development of the organs,
scientists noticed differences in the organoids in the organ that was made from the skin cells of
the person with schizophrenia. The neural progenitor cells that are used to form neurons
weren't properly distributed, and very few mature neurons ended up appearing in the cortex.
This connects with previous research that has shown breakdowns in the functioning of the
cortex which affects the memory, attention, and language processing of a person.

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