http://www.medindia.net/healthnews/Schizophrenia-news.asp Medindia largest health website in india. en-us Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved. Fri, 25 May 2012 07:10:25 GMT http://www.medindia.net/news/key-genes-and-prototype-predictive-test-for-schizophrenia-identified-101442-1.htm A comprehensive group of genes most associated with schizophrenia has been identified by an Indiana University-led research team, along with a group of national and international collaborators. These genes can generate a score indicating whether an individual is at higher or lower risk of developing the disease. Using a convergent functional genomics approach that incorporates a variety of experimental techniques, the scientists also were able to apply a panel of their top genes to data from ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/key-genes-and-prototype-predictive-test-for-schizophrenia-identified-101442-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/schizophrenia-and-bipolar-disorder-possess-the-gifts-of-the-magi-101274-1.htm MAGI genes formally known as membrane linked to guanylate kinase are findings completely unrelated to the classic story of gift giving. WW and PDZ domain containing proteins) do influence brain function in important ways. MAGI1 and MAGI2 are genes that code for the MAGI proteins. These proteins influence the development and function of synapses in the brain, the junctions where communication between nerve cells occurs. Because they perform many important functions at brain synapses, researchers ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/schizophrenia-and-bipolar-disorder-possess-the-gifts-of-the-magi-101274-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/antipsychotic-drugs-and-relapsing-schizophrenia-101271-1.htm A recent research conducted by Stefan et al and published in The Lancet, systematically reviewed the efficacy of antipsychotic drugs in preventing relapses in patients with schizophrenia, when compared to placebo. The review included 116 reports from about 65 clinical trials published over the past 50 years. Only those trials were taken into account where schizophrenic patients became stabilized after seeking treatment. Reports from the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's specialized register, Embase, PubMed and ClinicalTrials....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/antipsychotic-drugs-and-relapsing-schizophrenia-101271-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/research-finds-music-of-brain-hemispheres-sheds-light-on-schizophrenia-101172-1.htm Careful analyses of the electrical signals of brain activity may reveal important harmonic relationships in the electrical activity of brain circuits, researchers at the University of California in San Diego have suggested. The underlying premise is a simple one - that brain function is expressed by circuits that fire, and therefore generate oscillating EEG signals, at different frequencies. High frequency EEG activity called gamma, for example, might reflect the activity of fast-spiking ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/research-finds-music-of-brain-hemispheres-sheds-light-on-schizophrenia-101172-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/jequirity-bracelet-leads-to-hallucinations-in-brit-women-100323-1.htm A beaded "love" bracelet bought for just (Dollor) 1.60 on eBay proved to be very costly for a British woman who revealed that she checked into a psychiatric hospital after experiencing hallucinations. Made from Peruvian Jequirity bean, the bracelet sparked a public health scare in Britain and other western countries last year after it was found to contain a deadly poison, abrin, before finally being recalled by its maker. For Jo Wollacott though the bracelet had already done the damage as the 40-year ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/jequirity-bracelet-leads-to-hallucinations-in-brit-women-100323-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/intrauterine-antipsychotic-medication-exposure-to-lower-scores-on-infant-neuromotor-test-linked-study-99775-1.htm A history of intrauterine antipsychotic medication exposure was linked to notably lower scores on a standard test of neuromotor performance among 6-month-old infants, states report published Online First by iArchives of General Psychiatry/i, a JAMA Network publication. About two-thirds of women with a history of mental illness give birth. Despite the significant morbidity (illness or disease) associated with maternal mental illness during pregnancy, treatment guidelines are "largely speculative" ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/intrauterine-antipsychotic-medication-exposure-to-lower-scores-on-infant-neuromotor-test-linked-study-99775-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/schizophrenia-linked-to-epigenetic-changes-in-blood-samples-99537-1.htm Epigenetic changes known as DNA methylation have been identified in the blood of patients with schizophrenia in a new study by researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The researchers were also able to detect differences depending on how old the patients were when they developed the disease and whether they had been treated with various drugs. In the future this new knowledge may be used to develop a simple test to diagnose patients with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/schizophrenia-linked-to-epigenetic-changes-in-blood-samples-99537-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/link-between-smoking-and-schizophrenia-risk-99348-1.htm Smoking boosts the effect of a schizophrenia gene, say researchers. Schizophrenia has long been known to be hereditary. However, as a melting pot of disorders with different genetic causes is concealed behind manifestations of schizophrenia, research has still not been able to identify the main gene responsible to this day. In order to study the genetic background of schizophrenia, the frequency of particular risk genes between healthy and ill people has mostly been compared until now....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/link-between-smoking-and-schizophrenia-risk-99348-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/smartphones-can-aid-to-assess-and-treat-schizophrenia-98974-1.htm Psychiatrists are trying to use smartphone technology as an innovative tool in the assessment and treatment of schizophrenia and other serious mental illness. Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder that makes it difficult to distinguish between real and unreal experience, think logically, have normal emotional responses, and behave normally in social situations. Dror Ben-Zeev - an assistant professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School and director of the Thresholds-Dartmouth Research ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/smartphones-can-aid-to-assess-and-treat-schizophrenia-98974-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/insight-into-plausible-origins-of-schizophrenia-98846-1.htm The developmental differences in kids of parents with schizophrenia have been discovered by Wayne State University School of Medicine scientists. The study, led by Vaibhav Diwadkar, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences and co-director of the Division of Brain Research and Imaging Neuroscience, was published in the March 2012 issue of the American Medical Association journal iArchives of General Psychiatry/i and is titled, "Disordered Corticolimbic Interactions ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/insight-into-plausible-origins-of-schizophrenia-98846-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/measurable-benefits-for-schizophrenia-patients-98598-1.htm Results from a six-month pilot study show that people with schizophrenia report improved functioning after participating in a new, evidence-based clinical program. The program, A HREF="http:www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/schizophrenia_advancing_care"Advancing Standards of Care for People with Schizophrenia/A, was spearheaded by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council) and administered at 10 community behavioral health organizations across the country. The ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/measurable-benefits-for-schizophrenia-patients-98598-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/brain-activation-and-behavior-in-schizophrenia-may-be-improved-by-training-97945-1.htm A specific type of computerized cognitive training can lead to significant neural and behavioral improvements in individuals with schizophrenia, a new study has suggested. The research, published by Cell Press in the February 23 issue of the journal INeuron/I, reveals that 16 weeks of intensive cognitive training is also associated with improved social functioning several months later and may have far-reaching implications for improving the quality of life for patients suffering from neuropsychiatric illness....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/brain-activation-and-behavior-in-schizophrenia-may-be-improved-by-training-97945-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/schizophrenia-research-a-route-to-the-brain-via-nose-96773-1.htm A major obstacle in the progress of comprehending psychiatric disorders is the difficulty in obtaining living brain tissue for study so that disease processes can be studied directly. Recent advances in basic cellular neuroscience now suggest that, for some purposes, cultured neural stem cells may be studied in order to research psychiatric disease mechanisms. But where can one obtain these cells outside of the brain? Increasingly, schizophrenia research is turning to the nose. Strange as it ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/schizophrenia-research-a-route-to-the-brain-via-nose-96773-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Brain-Activity-Behind-Delusions-Traced-95947-1.htm Schizophrenics could experience greater brain activity during one particular type of delusion - delusion of reference, the type that is prevalent in up to two-thirds of people suffering from the mental health problem. The study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) appears in the December issue of Biological Psychiatry. The delusion of reference occurs when people feel that external stimuli such as newspaper articles or strangers' overheard conversations are about them, says CAMH Scientist Dr....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Brain-Activity-Behind-Delusions-Traced-95947-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Adolescent-Schizophrenia-Leads-to-Gradual-Loss-of-Brain-Gray-Matter-95663-1.htm A new study has revealed schizophrenia may lead to progressive brain changes among adolescents, such as loss of gray matter in the brain. It found that adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses appear to show greater decreases in gray matter volume and increases in cerebrospinal fluid in the frontal lobe compared to healthy adolescents without a diagnosis of psychosis. "Progressive loss of brain gray matter (GM) has been reported in childhood-onset schizophrenia; however, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Adolescent-Schizophrenia-Leads-to-Gradual-Loss-of-Brain-Gray-Matter-95663-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Progressive-Brain-Changes-Among-Adolescents-Linked-to-Schizophrenia-Diagnosis-95625-1.htm A report in the January issue of IArchives of General Psychiatry/I, one of the JAMA/Archives journals says that adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses appear to show greater decreases in gray matter volume and increases in cerebrospinal fluid in the frontal lobe compared to healthy adolescents without a diagnosis of psychosis. "Progressive loss of brain gray matter (GM) has been reported in childhood-onset schizophrenia; however, it is uncertain whether these changes ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Progressive-Brain-Changes-Among-Adolescents-Linked-to-Schizophrenia-Diagnosis-95625-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Lack-Of-Protein-Densin-180-Behind-Schizophrenia-93832-1.htm California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers have found that lack of protein densin-180 could lead to schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. The protein is abundant in the synapses of the brain - synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell. Densin-180 sticks to and binds together several other proteins in a part of the neuron that's at the receiving end of a synapse and is called the postsynapse. A team led by Mary Kennedy, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Lack-Of-Protein-Densin-180-Behind-Schizophrenia-93832-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Increased-Risk-of-Schizophrenia-in-Heavy-Methamphetamine-Users-Study-93072-1.htm Heavy methamphetamine users at an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, reveals study. This finding was based on a large study comparing the risk among methamphetamine users not only to a group that did not use drugs, but also to heavy users of other drugs. The report will be published online on Nov. 8, 2011, at iAJP/i in Advance, the advance edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the official journal of the iAmerican Psychiatric Association/i. Methamphetamine ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Increased-Risk-of-Schizophrenia-in-Heavy-Methamphetamine-Users-Study-93072-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Movement-Therapy-For-Schizophrenia-92792-1.htm The movement therapy could be effective in schizophrenia treatment. The therapy trains people to be focused and centered on their own bodies and includes some forms of yoga and dance. The conclusion is based on a new study that shows schizophrenics have a weakened sense of body ownership. The rubber hand illusion made use of in the research produced the first case of a spontaneous, out-of-body experience in the laboratory. The study, which appears in the Oct. 31 issue of the scientific journal Public ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Movement-Therapy-For-Schizophrenia-92792-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Cognitive-Therapy-Benefits-Schizophrenia-Patients-91487-1.htm Cognitive therapy can significantly improve the daily functioning and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia, reveals study conducted by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study appears in the October 3 edition of IArchives of General Psychiatry/I. "Mental health professionals often give up on the lowest-functioning cases of schizophrenia and may say that they are not capable of improving," said Paul Grant, PhD, lead author ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Cognitive-Therapy-Benefits-Schizophrenia-Patients-91487-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Genome-Regions-Linked-To-Schizophrenia-90914-1.htm Five new locations on the human genome have now been linked to schizophrenia. An international team of scientists is also harking back to two previously implicated locations for the purpose. An international consortium of 190 researchers from 135 institutions, including the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), has taken up the largest genome-wide association study of the disorder ever undertaken. It has long been recognised that schizophrenia is highly heritable. However, this new study has pinpointed ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Genome-Regions-Linked-To-Schizophrenia-90914-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Genetic-Mechanism-Behind-Schizophrenia-In-Children-Of-Older-Fathers-Identified-90067-1.htm Australian researchers seem to believe they have been able to identify a genetic mechanism that may explain why the children of older fathers are more likely to develop schizophrenia or autism. Compared to the offspring of fathers in their early twenties, the offspring of fathers aged 50 years or above have a two-fold increased risk of these neurodevelopmental disorders. In their mice experiments to understand the risk better, researchers with the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) used genome-wide ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Genetic-Mechanism-Behind-Schizophrenia-In-Children-Of-Older-Fathers-Identified-90067-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Antipsychotic-Drugs-Fail-To-Attack-The-Root-Cause-Of-Schizophrenia-89615-1.htm US researchers have found that antipsychotic drugs might suppress the adverse effects of schizophrenia, but not attack the root cause itself. In a paper published in this week's IJournal of Neuroscience/I, they say that pinpointing what is actually causing the problem could lead to better avenues oftreatment. "In the past five years or so, we've really started to understand what may be going wrong with the schizophrenic brain," says Anthony Grace, Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Antipsychotic-Drugs-Fail-To-Attack-The-Root-Cause-Of-Schizophrenia-89615-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Cognitive-Deficits-Impair-Decision-making-Capacity-Study-88917-1.htm In a recent study on individuals with schizophrenia it was found that errors due to cognitive difficulties were uncommon and significantly impair decision making capacity. For example, 65.5 percent of individuals undergoing the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) made errors resulting from difficulty recalling study information and 22.6 percent overemphasized the potential for personal gain from study participation. Individuals' "responses were also notable ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Cognitive-Deficits-Impair-Decision-making-Capacity-Study-88917-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Non-hereditary-Links-to-Schizophrenia-Identified-88818-1.htm Protein-altering genetic mutations that are present in patients but not in their parents play a key role in schizophrenia. Findings published in the Nature Genetics. A group led by Maria Karayiorgou, MD, and Joseph A. Gogos, MD, PhD, examined the genomes of patients with schizophrenia and their families, as well as healthy control groups. All were from the genetically isolated, European-descent Afrikaner population of South Africa. These findings build on earlier studies by Karayiorgou, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Non-hereditary-Links-to-Schizophrenia-Identified-88818-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Mild-Shocks-Effective-In-Schizophrenia-88461-1.htm Australian scientists say that transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) can improve the lives of schizophrenia patients. Stimulation for just 20 minutes at a time should do. It is an experimental therapy in which a small electrical current is passed to the brain through the scalp and skull. While originally developed in the early 19th century, the advantages of tDCS are only now being discovered. Transcranial direct current stimulation has been determined safe for human use due to the low ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Mild-Shocks-Effective-In-Schizophrenia-88461-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Neural-Mechanism-Behind-Hallucinations-Identified-88324-1.htm Australian researchers say they have identified the neural mechanism that could trigger hallucinations. The discovery could lead to more effective drugs for treatment of schizophrenia. The mechanism in questions hinders reward identification and decision-making. The study led by Dr Thomas Weickert, of UNSW's School of Psychiatry, and published in the journal EMMolecular Psychiatry/EM, found that an area deep in the brain called the ventral striatum, which usually lights up with activity in response ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Neural-Mechanism-Behind-Hallucinations-Identified-88324-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Cancer-Drug-May-Help-Relieve-Schizophrenia-Symptoms-Study-88074-1.htm A cancer drug currently in advanced clinical trials was found to alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia in mice, according to a new study. Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious mental health conditions and affects about 24 million people worldwide. The illness is a long-term mental health condition that causes a number of psychological symptoms, including hallucinations and delusions as well as behaviour changes. The new study also revealed the molecular pathway that is affected during the onset of schizophrenia....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Cancer-Drug-May-Help-Relieve-Schizophrenia-Symptoms-Study-88074-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Schizophrenia-New-Genetic-Clues-Identified-87563-1.htm Defects in the genes that are present in patients but not in their parents - are more frequent in patients with schizophrenia condition, reveals study published in Nature Genetics. This new finding may enable researchers to define how the disease results from these mutations and eventually develop new treatments for it. "The occurrence of de novo mutations, as observed in this study, may in part explain the high worldwide incidence of schizophrenia," says Dr. Rouleau, who is also Director ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Schizophrenia-New-Genetic-Clues-Identified-87563-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Early-Interventions-for-Schizophrenia-Lack-Evidence-86415-1.htm Majority of physicians and researchers believe that early intervention in schizophrenia patients can increase the chances of recovery, reduce recurrences and in some cases prevent the warning signs of psychosis, but this data is insufficient to draw any definitive conclusions. Taken together, however, the studies add up to "a growing body of evidence that there are some special things we can do for people in the early stage of the illness," said Max Marshall, M.D., professor of community psychiatry ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Early-Interventions-for-Schizophrenia-Lack-Evidence-86415-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Drinking-Over-Five-Cups-of-Joe-Leads-to-Hallucinations-86064-1.htm A new study conducted by researchers from La Trobe University in Melbourne suggests that drinking over five cups of coffee a day could lead to hallucinations. More than 90 people participated in the study which looked into the effect of caffeine on those who were stressed out. The participants were given different doses of caffeine and were made to listen to constant fuzzy sound. The researchers found that those who had over 200mg of caffeine in a day were more likely to hear sounds that were not played....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Drinking-Over-Five-Cups-of-Joe-Leads-to-Hallucinations-86064-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Researchers-Reveal-Why-Schizophrenia-Patients-may-Have-Trouble-Reading-Social-Cues-85565-1.htm Possible evidence on why people with schizophrenia might have difficulty in understanding the actions of other people has been found by Vanderbilt University researchers. They have discovered that impairments in a brain area involved in perception of social stimuli may be partly responsible for this difficulty. "Misunderstanding social situations and interactions are core deficits in schizophrenia," said Sohee Park, Gertrude Conaway Professor of Psychology and one of the co-authors on this study....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Researchers-Reveal-Why-Schizophrenia-Patients-may-Have-Trouble-Reading-Social-Cues-85565-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Brain-Wave-Test-to-Help-Predict-Schizophrenia-85203-1.htm Measuring the brain waves may aid predict the risk of developing schizophrenia, reveals study led by German and Swiss researchers. The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG), which measures the brain's electrical activity or "brain waves", to study the brain's response to commonly and rarely presented tones that differed in length. When these rare "deviant" tones are presented to healthy people, the brain automatically generates a particular electrical wave called mismatch negativity, or MMN....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Brain-Wave-Test-to-Help-Predict-Schizophrenia-85203-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Can-the-Social-Deficits-of-Autism-and-Schizophrenia-be-Modeled-in-Animals-84668-1.htm It is well-documented that the use of animal models to study human disease is essential to help advance our understanding of disease and to develop new therapeutic treatments. Social deficits are common in several psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Individuals with severe social dysfunction can experience significant difficulties with everyday functioning. Oxytocin and vasopressin are hormones that play key roles in emotional and social behaviors and bonding....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Can-the-Social-Deficits-of-Autism-and-Schizophrenia-be-Modeled-in-Animals-84668-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Research-Says-L-lysine-may-Help-Schizophrenia-Sufferers-Cope-83804-1.htm Research has confirmed that schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that currently affects about one in every 200 people. Most patients find some relief from their symptoms by treatment with antipsychotics, however they may still suffer from cognitive and negative symptoms. These include poor concentration and memory, apathy, or a reduced ability to cope in social situations. Preliminary research published in BioMed Central's open access journal iBMC Medicine/i shows that patients who ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Research-Says-L-lysine-may-Help-Schizophrenia-Sufferers-Cope-83804-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Schizophrenia-Research-Uses-Patients-Own-Skin-Cells-83608-1.htm Scientists reported on Wednesday that in a new research skin cells have become lab-dish tools for probing one of the most enigmatic and distressing disorders of the mind, schizophrenia. Researchers in the United States took samples of skin cells from schizophrenic patients and turned them back to a primitive, versatile state called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). From this blank slate, the cells were then cultured to become brain cells, enabling them to be used for lab-dish investigations ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Schizophrenia-Research-Uses-Patients-Own-Skin-Cells-83608-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Reveal-Potential-Link-Between-Immunity-Schizophrenia-81579-1.htm The number of connections between nerve cells in the brain can be regulated by an immune system molecule, a new study from UC Davis has indicated. The research has also revealed a potential link between immunity, infectious disease and conditions such as schizophrenia or autism. Schizophrenia, autism and other disorders are associated with changes in connectivity in the brain, said Kimberley McAllister, associate professor in the Center for Neuroscience and Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at UC Davis....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Scientists-Reveal-Potential-Link-Between-Immunity-Schizophrenia-81579-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Link-Between-Immunity-and-Schizophrenia-Revealed-81570-1.htm An immune system molecule is known to regulate the connections between nerve cells in the brain, found in a study. The research also points out a strong association between immunity, infectious diseases and conditions like schizophrenia or autism. Schizophrenia, autism and other disorders are associated with changes in connectivity in the brain, said Kimberley McAllister, associate professor in the Center for Neuroscience and Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at UC Davis....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Link-Between-Immunity-and-Schizophrenia-Revealed-81570-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Boffins-Identify-Potential-Therapeutic-Target-for-Schizophrenia-81441-1.htm Scientists have identified a gene mutation strongly linked to schizophrenia that may be an important new target for the development of drug therapies. The work was done by an international team of scientists led by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and involving Trinity College Dublin researchers. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder, with symptoms that include hallucinations, delusions and thought disorder. Schizophrenia is believed to ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Boffins-Identify-Potential-Therapeutic-Target-for-Schizophrenia-81441-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Schizophrenia-Gene-Mutation-Identified-80312-1.htm Scientists have found a gene mutation that is strongly linked to schizophrenia, a brain disorder. This new finding would pave path for development of new drugs. The work led by Jonathan Sebat, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine poses significant and immediate implications for neurobiology and the treatment of schizophrenia because the gene identified by the researchers is an especially attractive target for drug development....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Schizophrenia-Gene-Mutation-Identified-80312-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Neurologists-Link-Chopins-Hallucinations-to-Epilepsy-79906-1.htm The famous Polish composer, Frederic Chopin, who experienced hallucinations during his relatively short life, probably had temporal lobe epilepsy, according to Researchers. In her memoirs, the French novelist George Sand, who described lyrically how her lover, cursed by prodigy and doomed by frailty to an early grave, would be shaken by ghostly visions. "The phantoms called him, clasped him, and instead of seeing his father and his friend smile at him in the ray of faith, he repelled their ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Neurologists-Link-Chopins-Hallucinations-to-Epilepsy-79906-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Brain-Cells-Stuck-In-Outer-Layer-Could-Cause-Schizophrenia-79662-1.htm Brain cells stuck in the layer below cortex could cause schizophrenia, Australian scientists say. Prof Cyndi Shannon Weickert and her team from Neuroscience Research Australia, Schizophrenia Research Institute and UNSW have found that in people with schizophrenia, brain cells destined for the cortex - the outer part of the brain associated with thinking and other cognitive abilities - could get trapped in the layer below. "We think brain cells might be trapped while in the process of migrating to the cortex while the brain develops....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Brain-Cells-Stuck-In-Outer-Layer-Could-Cause-Schizophrenia-79662-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Family-Intervention-may-Prevent-Relapse-of-Schizophrenia-79541-1.htm BFamily intervention for people with schizophrenia may decrease the risk of relapse. /BIt may also help people with schizophrenia to consistently take their medication. BSchizophrenia is a chronic, relapsing mental illness. It has a worldwide lifetime prevalence of about 1%,/B irrespective of culture, social class and race. The disease is characterised by positive symptoms and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions while negative ones include emotional numbness and withdrawal....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Family-Intervention-may-Prevent-Relapse-of-Schizophrenia-79541-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Cognitive-Impairments-In-Schizophrenia-Treated-By-Targeting-Nicotine-Receptors-79435-1.htm Smoking is a common problem for patients with schizophrenia. The increased tendency of patients diagnosed with this disorder is to not only smoke, but to do so more heavily than the general public. This raises the possibility that nicotine may be acting as a treatment for some symptoms of schizophrenia. Nicotine acts through two general classes of brain receptors, those with high and low affinity for nicotine. The low affinity class of nicotinic receptors contains the alpha-7 subunit, which is ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Cognitive-Impairments-In-Schizophrenia-Treated-By-Targeting-Nicotine-Receptors-79435-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Sexual-Abuse-In-Childhood-Could-Trigger-Schizophrenia-In-Later-Life-77001-1.htm Sexual abuse in childhood could trigger schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders in later life, an Australian study seems to show. The research was led by Margaret Cutajar and included research by Professor Paul Mullen, Professor James Ogloff, Dr Stuart Thomas, Associate Professor David Wells and Josie Spataro of the Monash University. The findings of the study were reported in the November issue of IArchives of General Psychiatry/I, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Previous studies established ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Sexual-Abuse-In-Childhood-Could-Trigger-Schizophrenia-In-Later-Life-77001-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Risk-Factor-for-Autism-and-Schizophrenia-Linked-to-Genetic-Deletion-76274-1.htm The deletion of a genomic region on chromosome 17 has been identified as a significant risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia. A mutation of one of the genes in the deleted interval already is a known cause of renal cysts and diabetes syndrome (RCAD). The research, by an international collaboration of scientists led by Emory University, will be published in the IAmerican Journal of Human Genetics/I. Lead author of the study is Daniel Moreno-De-Luca, MD, MSc, Emory ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Risk-Factor-for-Autism-and-Schizophrenia-Linked-to-Genetic-Deletion-76274-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Drug-Addiction-Schizophrenia-Treatment-Could-be-Improved-With-Dopamine-Model-75651-1.htm A model of the way the brain releases dopamine, which could be used to understand drug addiction and treat schizophrenia, has been successfully created by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. Dopamine is involved in a number of processes that control the way we behave. If the action results in its release, one is likely to repeat it - this stands true for eating and even taking drugs. Scientists believe that mental illnesses such as schizophrenia can be linked to dopamine imbalances....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Drug-Addiction-Schizophrenia-Treatment-Could-be-Improved-With-Dopamine-Model-75651-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Therapies-for-Schizophrenia-Possible-After-Serotonin-Research-75061-1.htm Research on how serotonin works is being conducted by Scripps Research Institute scientists. The work could affect the development of new therapies for a number of disorders, including schizophrenia and depression. Serotonin affects the control of perception, cognition, sleep, appetite, pain, and mood and mediates these effects through interactions with receptors located throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. The team has shown for the first time that the neurotransmitter ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Therapies-for-Schizophrenia-Possible-After-Serotonin-Research-75061-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Brain-Research-Could-Hold-Cure-For-Schizophrenia-74808-1.htm New research has revealed that two neurotransmitters-dopamine and glutamate-are abnormal in people with psychotic illness, including schizophrenia. Among many other things, these chemicals play a role in cognitive functions, such as memory, learning, and problem solving. James Stone and colleagues studied people with sub-threshold psychotic symptoms, who were at very high risk of undergoing transition to full-blown psychotic illness, using two brain imaging techniques - magnetic resonance ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/New-Brain-Research-Could-Hold-Cure-For-Schizophrenia-74808-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/Immune-Reaction-In-Pregnancy-Linked-To-Schizophrenia-In-Children-74214-1.htm Immune reaction in pregnancy could be linked to schizophrenia in children, say New Zealand researchers. In a world-first study, Department of Psychology researchers at the University of Otago found that disruption in long-range neural synchronisation in adult rats occurs following a one- off activation of their mother's immune system while pregnant with them. PhD candidate and study lead author Desiree Dickerson says the findings, which appear in the latest edition of the Journal of Neuroscience, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/Immune-Reaction-In-Pregnancy-Linked-To-Schizophrenia-In-Children-74214-1.htm