Overview
- The systematic review, published June 17 in JAMA Psychiatry, pooled 114 studies covering more than 10,000 participants and found consistent associations between early-life adversity and brain differences tied to schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
- Exposures such as childhood trauma, poverty, social isolation, racism and food insecurity were linked to reduced cortical thickness, lower structural connectivity, altered brain activity and abnormal neurochemical levels seen in schizophrenia research.
- Authors stress these results show association not causation and note that many people identified as 'clinical high-risk' do not progress to full psychosis, so neurobiological markers would need careful validation before clinical use.
- Researchers say the findings point to new paths for earlier screening and for interventions that build resilience through therapy, social supports or other targeted measures to reduce progression to severe illness.
- The review highlights gaps that need study next, including longitudinal and mechanistic research to map how social conditions become biologically embedded and how policy or clinical programs might alter those pathways; social determinants of health are estimated to drive a large share of overall health outcomes.