Urban Upbringing: A Risk Factor for Schizophrenia
In summary, our data link urban upbringing to anatomical alterations in DLPFC and pACC, regions that have been implicated in the effects of environmental stress and the pathology and risk for schizophrenia. The data further point to a detrimental interaction of urban upbringing and male sex on brain anatomy, suggesting a complex neural mechanism for the association of early urbanicity with schizophrenia risk. We speculate that the described associations of urban upbringing may represent adult outcomes of neurodevelopmental changes caused by early urban exposure, potentially due to increased social stress. Future work should aim to replicate these findings and study specific component features of the urban environment that impact brain structure and function as well as their interaction with other genetic and environmental risk factors.
Conclusion
In summary, our data link urban upbringing to anatomical alterations in DLPFC and pACC, regions that have been implicated in the effects of environmental stress and the pathology and risk for schizophrenia. The data further point to a detrimental interaction of urban upbringing and male sex on brain anatomy, suggesting a complex neural mechanism for the association of early urbanicity with schizophrenia risk. We speculate that the described associations of urban upbringing may represent adult outcomes of neurodevelopmental changes caused by early urban exposure, potentially due to increased social stress. Future work should aim to replicate these findings and study specific component features of the urban environment that impact brain structure and function as well as their interaction with other genetic and environmental risk factors.