Fetal Environment and Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia and related disorders are adult-onset illnesses with no definitively established risk factors. Several studies report that exposures to infection and nutritional deprivation during early development may elevate the risk of later developing schizophrenia, specifically during the prenatal period. Preliminary evidence implicates lead exposure as well, suggesting that chemical exposures during early development may constitute a new class of risk factors for schizophrenia that has not been adequately investigated. Exposure to lead is given as an example of a chemical agent for which some effects have been described throughout the life course on both general neurodevelopmental outcomes and now on a specific psychiatric diagnosis. Findings from prospectively collected birth cohorts are offered as examples of both innovations in methodology and opportunities for future generations of investigators.