The purpose ofthis book isto provide acritical appraisal oftheconcept
thatschizophreniacan becaused by viralinfections. The ability of viruses
to cause psychiatric symptoms is not in question - the mental depression
following a bout with mononucleosis or hallucinations associated with
herpesencephalitisarewell-described examples. However, aviraloriginfor
chronic disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder,
is another matter. The claim of an infectious etiology for these
disorders has beenmetinthemainstream scientific community
byavagueskepticism that occasionally erupts into stringent criticism.
Too often, however, the viral hypotheses of these disorders is simply
disregarded; marginalized with the hopethat itwillgoaway sothatthe
"serious" researchaimed atuncovering therealcauseoftheseillnesses
willnotloseitsfocus.This beingsaid, much of the criticism is valid, and
as a researcher with formal training in both neuroscience and viral
immunology, I view the proposed viral etiology of
thesedisorderswithaskepticaleye. Nevertheless, one cannot ignore the
growing number of well-performed studies pointing to the role of viral
infections as important antecedents of schizophreniaand other disorders
inthe schizophreniaspectrum. Inthe last 30 years there have been
hundreds of articles in peer-reviewed journals presenting
evidenceorpositingtheoriestosuggestthatatleastsomecasesof schizophrenia
have a viral origin. Moreover, many schizophrenia experts have been
calling for the recognition that schizophrenia isa heterogeneous group
of disorders that may have different causes. This idea of disease
heterogeneity is reaching a crescendo, and there is undoubtedly a place
for viruses among alternative etiologies; but we have to look. The
intellectual climate tolooknowisbetterthanitwas20yearsago, inpartbecause
inthe last 2 decades a number of chronic diseases of unknown etiology
(e.g. gastric ulcers, Kaposi's sarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma) have
been ascribedtoinfectiouscauses.
