Mental health professional have long debated what defects in brain cells cause schizophrenia. An article published in Medical News Today, March 4, 2009, examines this issue. The article reports on a study published in the recent issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry. The researchers studied, "...brain tissue from 23 controls and 28 schizophrenia patients, selected from brains donated by UK patients being treated for schizophrenia and comparing the data to an equivalent study in the USA..The researchers looked at...proteins and DNA as well as mRNA in the samples, which were taken from two brain regions associated with schizophrenia: the frontal cortical area and the temporal cortex. mRNA are copies of small sections of our DNA that cells use to build proteins. Unlike DNA, mRNA varies in different parts of the body, where different proteins are needed." The results of the study were interesting. The researchers found "...49 genes that work differently in the brains of schizophrenia patients compared to controls....Many of these genes are involved in controlling cell-to-cell signalling in the brain." The implications of this study are significant. First, the results of the study support the idea that "...that abnormalities in the way in which cells 'talk' to each other are involved in the disease." And, second, the results of this study point the way for future studies to focus on discovering genetic biomarkers for schizophrenia thus greatly aiding both prevention and treatment. Currently, most patients who are suspected to have schizophrenia are diagnosed on behavior alone. The researchers conclude that "...Most patients are diagnosed as teenagers or in their early 20s, but if they could be diagnosed earlier, they could be treated more effectively and they could have a better quality of life. To have the possibility of transforming someone's life early on instead of having to take drugs indefinitely would be wonderful."
The Bottom Line: The results of this study strongly suggest that defective communications between brain cells is linked to the development of schizophrenia.
Source: Original Article
Dr. Jeffrey Speller
Dr. Tanya Korkosz
Psychopharmacology Associates of New England
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