Researchers have long suspected that certain childhood infections contribute to the development of schizophrenia by young adulthood, although scarce evidence supports that hunch. Two new studies published in the January American Journal of Psychiatry do just that.
The first investigation found that Swedish youngsters exposed to viral infections of the central nervous system by age 12 displayed elevated rates of psychotic illnesses, including schizophrenia, by ages 17 to 29.
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