Hippocampal dysfunction in schizophrenia

Although not necessarily primary to the disease, hippocampal dysfunction in schizophrenia is suggested by morphological changes in the hippocampal formation reported in schizophrenic patients. This notion receives additional support from studies showing that 1) similar behavioral deficits are exhibited by both schizophrenics and animals with hippocampal lesions, and 2) some of these behavioral deficits are reversed by neuroleptics in both schizophrenics and lesioned animals. A brain-mapped neural network model is used to explain how some impairments in attention can be caused by hippocampal dysfunction and ameliorated by dopaminergic blockers. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.