CHEMISTRY OF THE BRAIN: MOLECULES, MOOD, AND MENTAL ILLNESS - Chemistry: Notable Research and Discoveries - page 91

Prevalent theories in the early 20th century focused on psychologi-
cal causes such as traumatic experiences during childhood, but much
of the later research has concentrated on genetics as well as on brain
abnormalities. Researchers have found the brains of schizophrenia
patients to be slightly different from normal in a number of ways; for
instance, the fluid-filled cavities in the brain known as ventricles are
larger. But no one has found what role, if any, these differences play in
the onset and time course of the disease.
A potential clue to the causes of schizophrenia came in the early
1950s, when researchers discovered the first effective drug treatment
for the disease. Chlorpromazine treatments alleviated many of the
symptoms, allowing some patients to recover enough function to leave
hospital wards for the first time since they had been diagnosed with
This brain scan of a schizophrenic patient, taken while he was
hallucinating, shows highly active areas in the visual and audi-
tory parts of the brain, suggesting the hallucination was the re-
sult of abnormal activity in these areas. (D. Silbersweig/Photo
Researchers, Inc.)