Schizophrenia: prenatal influenza and autoimmunity.

The schizophrenic syndrome may represent a stereotyped response by the developing brain to various insults, including micro-organisms. We review studies that have examined the association between schizophrenia and infectious agents, and examine the current evidence for the hypothesis that exposure to influenza during fetal life increases the risk of later schizophrenia. A prenatal autoimmune basis for some cases of schizophrenia is proposed.