**The Convergence of Glutamate and GABA Dysregulation in Schizophrenia Dysregulation in Schizophrenia**

**The Convergence of Glutamate and GABA** 

Sarah A. Monaco, Austin A. Coley and Wen-Jun Gao Wen-Jun Gao

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Sarah A. Monaco, Austin A. Coley and

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/65870

#### **Abstract**

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder that afflicts about 1% of the world population, imposing a huge financial and social burden on the community. Schizophrenia is characterized by three core features, positive (e.g., hallucinations, delusions) and negative symptoms (e.g., emotional blunting, reduced motivation), as well as cognitive impairments (i.e., working memory and attention deficits). Current antipsychotic treatments, which primarily target dopamine receptors, are effective at alleviating positive symptoms. However, dopamine‐specific therapies are insufficient to relieve negative symptoms and cognitive impairments, indicating other neuronal systems are involved in SCZ. Evidence for hypofunction‐ ing glutamate and gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission in forebrain tissue has continued to culminate as major contributors to the onset of SCZ. Furthermore, recent genetic studies reveal disrupted mutations in neurodevelopmental proteins at glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses that are potentially responsible for the syn‐ aptic abnormalities seen in the disorder. Therefore, schizophrenia symptomatology is influenced by interactions of several neurotransmitter systems. In this chapter, we focus on how glutamatergic and GABAergic hypofunctioning contribute to the variety of symptoms presented in SCZ and its etiology. We also review the current treatment options with respect to their mechanism of action, side effects, and limitations and provide perspective of where research should be directed to move forward with treat‐ ing this debilitating disease.

**Keywords:** neurodevelopment, glutamate, GABA, negative symptoms, cognitive deficits, treatment, schizophrenia

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
