Mapping core symptoms to implicated neural circuits and neurotransmitters.
| Symptom category | Key symptoms | Implicated neural circuits | Associated neurotransmitters/mechanisms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive symptoms | Hallucinations, delusions | Mesolimbic pathway (e.g., nucleus accumbens, amygdala) | ↑ Dopamine (D2 receptor hyperactivity), NMDA receptor hypofunction |
| Negative symptoms | Avolition, anhedonia, affective flattening | Mesocortical pathway (e.g., prefrontal cortex) | ↓ Dopamine, ↓ NMDA receptor function, ↑ KYNA |
| Cognitive symptoms | Working memory deficits, executive dysfunction | Prefrontal cortex, hippocampus | ↓ Glutamate, ↑ KYNA, ↓ GABA, neuroinflammation |
| Affective symptoms | Anxiety, depression, mood instability | Amygdala, hypothalamus, limbic system | Serotonin, dopamine imbalance, and inflammatory cytokines |
| Motor symptoms | Catatonia, abnormal movements | Basal ganglia, cerebellum | Dopamine dysregulation, oxidative stress, and synaptic dysfunction |
↑: Increase, hyperactivity, or elevated function/levels of the specified neurotransmitter or mechanism; ↓: decrease, hypoactivity, or reduced function/levels of the specified neurotransmitter or mechanism. GABA: gamma-aminobutyric acid; KYNA: kynurenic acid; NMDA: N-methyl-D-aspartate.
TAO: Conceptualization, Investigation. OJO: Conceptualization, Data curation, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. UOA: Conceptualization, Data curation, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. KBO: Conceptualization, Data curation, Investigation, Writing—original draft. SSM: Conceptualization, Data curation, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. MMA: Conceptualization, Data curation, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. AKA: Conceptualization, Data curation, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. ABO: Writing—original draft. JOO: Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. GE: Writing—review & editing. DELP: Writing—review & editing, Supervision. All authors have read and approved the submitted version.
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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