The adolescent brain: implications for the understanding, pathophysiology, and treatment of schizophrenia

The typical onset of schizophrenia during the transition from late adolescence to adulthood is one its central fea-tures. However, the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia has largely focused on the contribution of early development events. In this issue, we summarize data from a range of perspectives that emphasize the pro-found modifications occurring in anatomy, physiology, and functional properties of cortical networks during ad-olescence that may be important for the emergence of psychosis, enduring cognitive, and physiological deficits as well as for the treatment and prevention of the disor-der. The contributions by Hoftman and Lewis1 and O’Donnell2 show major modifications in GABAergic, glutamatergic, and dopaminergic neurotransmission and their interactions during the adolescent period tha