 The changes noted have largely been accepted to be the result of abnormal development.It is unclear whether hippocampal alterations play any role in causing the psychotic symptoms that are the most important feature of schizophrenia.It has been suggested that on the basis of experimental work using animals, hippocampal dysfunction might produce an alteration of dopamine release in the basal ganglia, thereby indirectly affecting the integration of information in the prefrontal cortex.