Social Determinants of Health and Neurobiology Across the Schizophrenia Course

Social determinants of health (SDOHs) are linked to worse clinical outcomes in schizophrenia-spectrum conditions; yet, how do SDOHs impact neurobiology across the course of schizophrenia?In this systematic review, greater exposure to adverse SDOHs was associated with neurobiological abnormalities in schizophrenia, including cortical thinning, brain volume reduction, decreased structural connectivity and functional activation, and abnormal neurochemical levels.These findings provide mechanistic support that social adversity becomes biologically embedded, linking SDOHs to clinical outcomes in schizophrenia and underscoring the importance of equity-oriented approaches that integrate social and biological determinants.

Corresponding Author: Jessica P. Y. Hua, PhD, ABPP, University of California San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143 (jessica.hua@ucsf.edu).

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