One view of schizophrenia is that it is a neurodevelopmental disorder [184, 233]. As reviewed by Galve-Roperh et al. [70] in this issue, endocannabinoids play an important role in several processes important in neurodevelopment, including neurogenesis, neural specification, neural maturation, neuronal migration, axonal elongation, and glia formation. Brain development continues into young adulthood (25 years) [42], and therefore any factors that interfere with brain development during this time may have far-reaching consequences. Perturbation of the endocannabinoid system in the adolescent brain, by excessive or non-physiological stimulation, as may be the case with exposure to exogenous cannabinoids, may have far-reaching consequences. This would be especially so in the presence of already altered neurodevelopmental processes. Therefore, exogenous cannabinoids, by disrupting the endocannabinoid system and interfering with neurodevelopmental processes, may provide a mechanism by which exposure to cannabinoids during adolescence may increase the risk for the development of schizophrenia.
