Extra Credit Article Assignment The research paper “Inflammation Animal Models for Schizophrenia” conducted by the department of Psychiatry at Ruhr University summarized research on the neurodevelopmental hypothesis for the origins of schizophrenia. The neurodevelopmental hypothesis states that the neurotransmitter imbalances seen in schizophrenia could be caused by a residual effect of maternal immune responses. The researchers would explain that the immune response of the mother would affect the brain development of her young. Supported by previous research showing prenatal exposure to various viruses yielded a seven fold increase in schizophrenic symptoms in children later in life. This increase is explained by an unspecific immune response
