Damage to N-methyl D-aspartate receptors following perinatal hypoxia-ischemia and its relation to schizophrenia

The role of NMDAR hypofunction in schizophrenia has garnered significant attention due to its involvement in cognitive and emotional regulation. Interestingly, recent research reveals a strong correlation between obstetric complications and neuropsychiatric disorders. This review aims to synthesize findings on mechanisms of perinatal hypoxic-ischemic injury and its relevance to NMDAR hypofunction in schizophrenia. Findings regarding the role of NMDAR in memory, cognition, and emotion are explored in conjunction with morphological and functional impacts of perinatal hypoxia on NMDARs and deficits in NMDAR activity observed in schizophrenia. Evidence suggests perinatal hypoxic-ischemic insult disrupts NMDAR activity in cognition and social behavior and contributes to positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms found in schizophrenia, establishing NMDARs as a potential mechanism explaining the link between obstetric complications and neuropsychiatric disorders. Understanding the development of NMDAR dysfunction following perinatal hypoxia offers pathways to early diagnosis and intervention in the development of schizophrenia.