Schizophrenia: Evolution and Synthesis (Strüngmann Forum Reports (13)) (Volume 13) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0262019620 ISBN 13: 9780262019620

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA, 2013

Leading researchers address conceptual and technical issues in schizophrenia and suggest novel strategies for advancing research and treatment.

Despite major advances in methodology and thousands of published studies every year, treatment outcomes in schizophrenia have not improved over the last fifty years. Moreover, we still lack strategies for prevention and we do not yet understand how the interaction of genetic, developmental, and environmental factors contribute to the disorder. In this book, leading researchers consider conceptual and technical obstacles to progress in understanding schizophrenia and suggest novel strategies for advancing research and treatment.

The contributors address a wide range of critical issues: the construct of schizophrenia itself; etiology, risk, prediction, and prevention; different methods of modeling the disorder; and treatment development and delivery. They identify crucial gaps in our knowledge and offer creative but feasible suggestions. These strategies include viewing schizophrenia as a heterogeneous group of conditions; adopting specific new approaches to prediction and early intervention; developing better integration of data across genetics, imaging, perception, cognition, phenomenology, and other fields; and moving toward an evidence-based, personalized approach to treatment requiring rational clinical decision-making to reduce functional disability.

Contributors
Robert Bittner, Robert W. Buchanan, Kristin S. Cadenhead, William T. Carpenter, Jr., Aiden Corvin, Daniel Durstewitz, André A. Fenton, Camilo de la Fuente-Sandoval, Jay A. Gingrich, Joshua A. Gordon, Chloe Gott, Peter B. Jones, René S. Kahn, Richard Keefe, Wolfgang Kelsch, James L. Kennedy, Matcheri S. Keshavan, Angus W. MacDonald III, Anil K. Malhotra, John McGrath, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Kevin J. Mitchell, Bita Moghaddam, Vera A. Morgan, Craig Morgan, Kim T. Mueser, Karoly Nikolich, Patricio O'Donnell, Michael O'Donovan, William A. Phillips, Wulf Rössler, Louis Sass, Akira Sawa, Jeremy K. Seamans, Steven M. Silverstein, William Spaulding, Sharmili Sritharan, Heike Tost, Peter Uhlhaas, Aristotle Voineskos, Michèle Wessa, Leanne M. Williams, Ashley Wilson, Til Wykes

About the Author:

Steven M. Silverstein is Director of the Division of Schizophrenia Research at University Behavioral HealthCare, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Services, Rutgers University.

Bita Moghaddam is Professor of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Pharmaceutical Science at the University of Pittsburgh.

Til Wykes is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation at Kings College London, Director of the National Institute for Health Research Mental Health Research Network, Codirector of the Service User Research Enterprise, and editor of the journal Mental Health.

Steven M. Silverstein is Director of the Division of Schizophrenia Research at University Behavioral HealthCare, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Services, Rutgers University.

Bita Moghaddam is Professor of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Pharmaceutical Science at the University of Pittsburgh.

Review:

To date, progress has been painfully slow in revealing pathogenic mechanisms of schizophrenia and developing effective treatments for many of its devastating symptoms. This state of affairs partly reflects the daunting genetic and neurobiological complexity of this syndrome, but also reflects the persistence of the outdated view that schizophrenia represents one or a few conditions and of reductive explanations that focus on a single gene or neurotransmitter. This forward-looking volume breaks down barriers in multiple fields relevant to schizophrenia and should do much to propel schizophrenia research forward.

―Steven Hyman, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute

The multi-faceted and complex nature of schizophrenia makes an ideal topic for the distinctive Ernst Strüngmann Forum 'treatment.' This fascinating volume captures the current excitement in this fast-moving area by summarizing the outcomes of compelling head-to-head discussions on provocative position papers provided by leading experts writing from a variety of clinical and preclinical perspectives.

―Trevor W. Robbins, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology and Director, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge

Schizophrenia is a timely, provocative, and forward-looking volume of scholarly presentations and spirited discussions by international experts in the field. It covers a broad and ambitious range of topics, from genetics and cell biology to environmental risk factors to clinical phenomenology and clinical interventions including those targeting the social milieu, and it does so with depth and insight. The chapters share a theme of challenging prevailing dogma and proposing potentially paradigm-shifting solutions. This is a state-of-the-art compilation and a highly recommended read for researchers and clinicians interested in cutting-edge thought on this critically important and rapidly evolving subject.

―Daniel R. Weinberger, Director and CEO, Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Professor, Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuroscience, and The Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine