| Abstrakt: |
Detailed information about the temporal sequence and requisite biologic mechanisms of normal development permits the empirical study of developmental hypotheses of early-onset psychiatric disorders. This article briefly reviews the conceptual issues that must be considered in any hypothetical formulation of a psychiatric disorder as a disturbance in brain development and focuses in particular upon the ontogeny of dopaminergic neuronal systems. Biologic and molecular mechanisms that may be relevant to developmental models of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, self-injurious and self-mutilative behavior in the developmentally delayed, and schizophrenia are reviewed in detail. In this context, new directions for the study of these disorders using basic science techniques are examined to illustrate how a mechanistic understanding of development and its disturbances can provide insight into the early-onset disorders and the necessary tools to prevent or treat these disorders. |
