Despite advances in molecular genetics and brain imaging, we are still a long way from understanding the cause of schizophrenia. Williamson argues that it is time to focus on identifying the final common pathway. He describes the possibilities for this pathway at an understandable level in the context of what is already known about schizophrenia. While there are no preferred models, a pattern is emerging which implicates structures in the brain known to be important in integrating perception, cognition, and affect.

Peter Williamson, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical Neurological Sciences, and Radiology; Chair, Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry; Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario