Describe the structural and functional brain abnormalities associated with schizophrenia.

Key terms and concepts that may be included in student responses:
▪ Enlarged ventricles-fluid-filled spaces, reductions in the prefrontal areas of the brain; abnormal connection between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala and hippocampus; social, emotional, and behavioral deficits appear long before development of core symptoms of schizophrenia
▪ Damage to the developing brain-delivery complications, perinatal hypoxia, viral exposure (influenza, herpes simplex), increased susceptibility during second trimester
▪ Prefrontal cortex and other key areas-less activity in prefrontal cortex (important in language, emotional expression, planning), abnormal hippocampal activation, abnormalities in the volume and shape of hippocampus and at the cellular level