Авербек, часть 2, финал

Excessive synaptic pruning during adolescence has been hypothesized to underlie the emergence of schizophrenia since the early 1980s, shortly after adolescent pruning was first described. The scale of normal pruning is substantial: "You actually lose almost 50% of your excitatory synapses in prefrontal cortex between the ages of 8 and about 30. And the slope is particularly steep during adolescence," said Bruno Averbeck, PhD. In most individuals, this loss likely makes cognition more robust while reducing plasticity, locking in cognitive processes developed during adolescence. Limbic circuits are likely relatively spared because they support memory, which must be maintained with age. In schizophrenia, excessive pruning may introduce pathologically strong attractor dynamics in prefrontal networks. These dynamics could manifest as fixed delusional ideation that persists despite conversation and even medication. Epidemiologic data show that many psychiatric disorders first emerge during this developmental window, although the research does not yet offer a basis for diagnosing individual patients, Averbeck said. ---------- 🔗 Read more: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com 📩 Subscribe for more: @PsychTimes 🌐 Visit us: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com ---------- Psychiatric Times is the No. 1 psychiatric publication in the US. Visit us at psychiatrictimes.com for the latest clinical news, expert perspectives, and CME opportunities. #psychiatry #psychiatrictimes #schizophrenia #research