The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 191: s9-s12. doi: 10.1192/bjp.191.51.s9
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow A correction has been published
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by SELTEN, J.-P.
Right arrow Articles by CANTOR-GRAAE, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by SELTEN, J.-P.
Right arrow Articles by CANTOR-GRAAE, E.

EDITORIALS

Hypothesis: social defeat is a risk factor for schizophrenia?

JEAN-PAUL SELTEN, MD, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands

ELIZABETH CANTOR-GRAAE, PhD

Department of Health Science, Section for Social Medicine and Global Health, Lund University, University Hospital UMAS, Malmö, Sweden

Correspondence: Dr. J. P. Selten, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands. Email: j.p.selten{at}umcutrecht.nl

Declaration of interest None.

The increased schizophrenia risks for residents of cities with high levels of competition and for members of disadvantaged groups (for example migrants from low- and middle-income countries, people with low IQ, hearing impairments or a history of abuse) suggest that social factors are important for aetiology. Dopaminergic dysfunctioning is a key mechanism in pathogenesis. This editorialis a selective literature review to delineate a mechanism whereby social factors can disturb dopamine function in the brain. Experiments with rodents have shown that social defeat leads to dopaminergic hyperactivity and to behavioural sensitisation, whereby the animal displays an enhanced behavioural and dopamine response to dopamine agonists. Neuroreceptor imaging studies have demonstrated the same phenomena in patients with schizophrenia who had never received antipsychotics. In humans, the chronic experience of social defeat may lead to sensitisation (and/or increased baseline activity) of the mesolimbic dopamine system and thereby increase the risk for schizophrenia.