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LETTERS: Dirk Jacobs, J Boydell, and R M Murray Schizophrenia in ethnic minority groups BMJ 2002; 324: 916 [Full text]

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Increased Testosterone May Contribute to Increased Schizophrenia in Minorities

James M. Howard   (16 April 2002)

Increased Testosterone May Contribute to Increased Schizophrenia in Minorities 16 April 2002
James M. Howard 1037 North Woolsey, Fayetteville, AR 72701, U.S.A. Send response to journal: Re: Increased Testosterone May Contribute to Increased Schizophrenia in Minorities	It is my hypothesis that schizophrenia results from poor, or disorganized development of the prefrontal lobes, in utero, as a result of low levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). (DHEA is known to positively affect growth and maintenance of neurons.) DHEA is low in schizophrenics. Subordinate hypotheses suggest the hormones, cortisol and testosterone, antagonize or reduce availability of DHEA. Hence, a stressful event (cortisol) and post-puberty onset (testosterone) may be involved in the onset of schizophrenia because of reduced DHEA. It is known that blacks, especially males, produce significantly more testosterone than whites. Therefore, in the case of blacks, it is possible that increased incidence of schizophrenia in "minorities," reported by Boydell and Murray, may represent the influence of testosterone on the incidence of schizophrenia.