Some researchers study the neurotransmitters that allow communication between brain cells. Three major neurotransmitter systems are dopamine, serotonin and nor epinephrine. Researchers have also studied cerebral blood flow. With the advent of the PET scans, researchers can identify areas that are activated when the brain is engaged in processing information. People with schizophrenia appear to have difficulty coordinating activity between areas of the brain. When thinking or speaking most people show increased activity in their frontal lobes, and a less activity in the brain where listening takes place. People with schizophrenia show the same frontal lobe increase but there is no decrease of activity in other areas of the brain. Researchers also use molecular biology to determine causes of schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia have irregular pattern of certain brain cells. Since these cells are formed long before a baby is born there are two speculations that have risen, this irregular pattern may point towards a possible cause of schizophrenia in the prenatal period or the pattern indicates a predisposition to acquire the disease at a later date. Genetic research has also been taken into account. Genetic research continues, but has not yet identified a hereditary gene for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia does appear more regularly in some families, but many people with schizophrenia have no family history of the illness. Stress does not cause schizophrenia, however, it has been proven that stress makes symptoms worse when the illness is already present. Drugs, including alcohol, tobacco and street drugs themselves do not cause schizophrenia. However, certain drugs can make symptoms worse or trigger a psychotic episode if a person already has schizophrenia. Drugs can also create schizophrenia like symptoms in otherwise healthy individuals. .
There are certain characteristic changes that a schizophrenic person undergoes such as, personality changes, thought disorder, perceptual changes and sense of self.
