miRNA Dysregulation in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder that alters synapse activity as well as neural circuits. An intricate intracellular network of biochemical signaling channel systems is required for the coordination of neurons’ precise network design and capacity to subtle post-synaptic alteration. Since these pathways are redundant, a wide variety of gene variations may result in system malfunction which manifests as related neurobehavioral diseases. Clinical studies suggest that the pathophysiology of schizophrenia is associated with genetic and developmental factors, with limited information about etiology. During the last few decades, post-transcriptional genetic regulation and small non-coding microRNA (miRNA) are mostly focused to understand the disease. The miRNA has a critical influence on both neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. Numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, are known to implicate aberrant miRNAs expression and malfunction in their pathogenesis. This study shows that in schizophrenia, the levels of mature miRNA present in the cerebral cortex as well as in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were altered. In this chapter, we summarized the most current research on the significant parts of miRNA in the etiology and deregulation of miRNA linked with schizophrenia.