http://www.rxpgnews.com/ Medical News and Information Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:01:30 PST en-us http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Brain_recruiting_pattern_incorrect_in_Schizophrenic_patients_94599.shtml Schizophrenia The enduring memory problems that people with schizophrenia experience may be related to differences in how their brains process information, new research has found. The Public Library of Science published the report by Vanderbilt University researchers Junghee Lee, Bradley S. Folley, John Gore and Sohee Park in the online journal PLOS One March 12.<br/> Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:38:25 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Brain_recruiting_pattern_incorrect_in_Schizophrenic_patients_94599.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_Risk_Gene_DISC1_Plays_a_Broader_Role_in_the_Development_of_Nervous_System_62507.shtml Schizophrenia How the gene that has been pegged as a major risk factor for schizophrenia and other mood disorders that affect millions of Americans contributes to these diseases remains unclear. However, the results of a new study by Hopkins researchers and their colleagues, appearing in Cell this week, provide a big clue by showing what this gene does in normal adult brains. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 04:19:08 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_Risk_Gene_DISC1_Plays_a_Broader_Role_in_the_Development_of_Nervous_System_62507.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Chemical_maps_hint_at_drug_s_effects_on_schizophrenia_28111.shtml Schizophrenia Antipsychotic drugs do most of their work in the brain, but they also leave behind in the bloodstream a trail of hundreds of chemicals that may be used in the future to direct better treatment for schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions, say Duke University Medical Center researchers. Tue, 15 May 2007 19:16:49 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Chemical_maps_hint_at_drug_s_effects_on_schizophrenia_28111.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Study-challenges-idea-that-schizophrenia-is-distinct-in-developing-and-developed-regions_18827.shtml Schizophrenia Research by the World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that the course and symptomatic expression of schizophrenia is relatively more benign in developing societies. However, a new study from Current Anthropology challenges this assumption, comparing biological and cultural indicators of schizophrenia in urban, Western societies with study data from the island of Palau, which has one of the highest rates of schizophrenia diagnosis in the world today. Wed, 14 Mar 2007 08:38:10 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Study-challenges-idea-that-schizophrenia-is-distinct-in-developing-and-developed-regions_18827.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/New-details-in-schizophrenia-treatment-trial-emerge_17727.shtml Schizophrenia Two new studies from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials for Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) provide more insights into comparing treatment options, and to what extent antipsychotic medications help people with schizophrenia learn social, interpersonal and community living skills. The new studies are published in the March 2007 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. CATIE, a $42.6 million, multi-site study, was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:52:59 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/New-details-in-schizophrenia-treatment-trial-emerge_17727.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Abnormalities-in-eye-movements-and-attention-can-predict-risk-of-Schizophrenia_16486.shtml Schizophrenia A Binghamton University researcher has established a new framework to help determine whether individuals might be at risk for schizophrenia. Wed, 21 Feb 2007 05:57:56 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Abnormalities-in-eye-movements-and-attention-can-predict-risk-of-Schizophrenia_16486.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Possible-genetic-link-to-schizophrenia-identified_14884.shtml Schizophrenia <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding=3 align="left" width="104"> <tr><td> <img src="http://www.rxpgnews.com/uploads/1/schizo_small_thumb.jpg" border="1" alt="schizo_small.jpg" width="104" height="78"><br clear="all"> <span class="image_caption"></span> </td></tr> </table> Several neurological and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, alcoholism, and Parkinson’s disease, are associated with changes in the brain that affect the nerves that communicate with each other through the naturally-produced chemical dopamine. One protein that is crucial for dopamine-mediated neuronal communication in animals is DARPP-32. However, very little is known about the function of this protein in humans. Fri, 09 Feb 2007 02:53:10 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Possible-genetic-link-to-schizophrenia-identified_14884.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Brain-scan-may-help-doctors-predict-schizophrenia_7633.shtml Schizophrenia London, Dec 7 - Brain scans may help doctors predict schizophrenia, a mental disorder that affects one percent of people across the world, says a new study. Thu, 07 Dec 2006 18:48:57 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Brain-scan-may-help-doctors-predict-schizophrenia_7633.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Study_aims_to_identify_schizophrenics_at_risk_for__4883_4883.shtml Schizophrenia Dissecting the relationship between schizophrenia and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes has physician-scientists reaching across the Atlantic Ocean. Tue, 22 Aug 2006 20:16:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Study_aims_to_identify_schizophrenics_at_risk_for__4883_4883.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Effects_of_ketamine_mimic_only_some_of_the_symptom_4804_4804.shtml Schizophrenia Ketamine can induce symptoms of referential thinking, but not other symptoms of schizophrenia, according to a new study. Ketamine is the structural analogue of the drug phencyclidine, now considered too toxic for experimental use in humans. In healthy volunteers, phencyclidine has been reported to induce paranoia, perceptual changes and other symptoms, including disorganisation of thought, negativism, apathy, withdrawal, poverty of speech and catatonia. Wed, 09 Aug 2006 12:37:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Effects_of_ketamine_mimic_only_some_of_the_symptom_4804_4804.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Association_between_famine_and_schizophrenia_may_y_4768_4768.shtml Schizophrenia The higher risk of schizophrenia among offspring of expectant mothers living through famine could help us understand the genetic basis for that debilitating mental disorder, a group of researchers argue in a commentary piece in the Aug. 2 issue of JAMA. The finding also supports a theory of medical genetics in which diseases and conditions can be caused by hundreds of different genetic mutations in any number of human genes. Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:33:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Association_between_famine_and_schizophrenia_may_y_4768_4768.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Neuropeptide_S_NPS_may_help_in_treating_schizophre_4658_4658.shtml Schizophrenia A small protein in the brain that has only recently been discovered and, paradoxically, induces both profound wakefulness and a less anxious state, may represent a novel target for the treatment of psychotic behavior and schizophrenia, according to new research presented at the 6th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology (ICN 2006) recently. Mon, 10 Jul 2006 06:18:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Neuropeptide_S_NPS_may_help_in_treating_schizophre_4658_4658.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Neuropeptide_S_NPS_may_help_in_treating_schizophre_4531_4531.shtml Schizophrenia A small protein in the brain that has only recently been discovered and, paradoxically, induces both profound wakefulness and a less anxious state, may represent a novel target for the treatment of psychotic behavior and schizophrenia, according to new research presented at the 6th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology (ICN 2006). ICN 2006 is being held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh June 19 – 22. Thu, 22 Jun 2006 23:41:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Neuropeptide_S_NPS_may_help_in_treating_schizophre_4531_4531.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/NMDA_receptor_hypofunction_demonstrated_in_schizop_4489_4489.shtml Schizophrenia Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists at the City University of New York, have identified a striking dysregulation in neuronal receptor activity in the postmortem brain tissue from patients with schizophrenia. By stimulating receptors in the prefrontal cortex, the research team tracked heightened levels of erbB4 receptor activity, as well as decreased NMDA receptor activity in the tissue from patients with schizophrenia. Additionally, they were able to identify a relationship between these two receptor groups, suggesting a mechanism for decreased NMDA receptor function that has long been suspected in schizophrenia. Mon, 19 Jun 2006 01:26:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/NMDA_receptor_hypofunction_demonstrated_in_schizop_4489_4489.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Altered_NRG1-erbB4_signaling_may_contribute_to_NMD_4479_4479.shtml Schizophrenia Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists at the City University of New York, have identified a striking dysregulation in neuronal receptor activity in the postmortem brain tissue from patients with schizophrenia. By stimulating receptors in the prefrontal cortex, the research team tracked heightened levels of erbB4 receptor activity, as well as decreased NMDA receptor activity in the tissue from patients with schizophrenia. Additionally, they were able to identify a relationship between these two receptor groups, suggesting a mechanism for decreased NMDA receptor function that has long been suspected in schizophrenia. Fri, 16 Jun 2006 23:59:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Altered_NRG1-erbB4_signaling_may_contribute_to_NMD_4479_4479.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Transcription_factor_Elk-1_s_role_in_neurodegenera_4409_4409.shtml Schizophrenia Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that a protein called Elk-1 interacts with mitochondria, the energy storehouse of a cell, suggesting that this protein -– typically active in the nucleus -- could play a role in cell death and mitochondria-related diseases such as neurodegeneration and schizophrenia. Thu, 08 Jun 2006 06:10:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Transcription_factor_Elk-1_s_role_in_neurodegenera_4409_4409.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_limits_one_s_ability_to_perceive_bod_4298_4298.shtml Schizophrenia Understanding the meaning behind a person's posture or body movement comes easily to many people and helps guide how we react to others socially. Fri, 19 May 2006 19:50:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_limits_one_s_ability_to_perceive_bod_4298_4298.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Hospitalized_schizophrenics_are_at_a_higher_risk_f_3681_3681.shtml Schizophrenia A Johns Hopkins study of more than 1,700 patients with schizophrenia hospitalized for medical or surgical care unrelated to their mental disorder shows they are at least twice as likely as similar patients without schizophrenia to suffer dangerous and expensive adverse events. The adverse events are associated with poor outcomes, including death. <br/> The researchers concluded that decreased quality of care given to patients with schizophrenia may put them at higher risk for serious infections and other complications. Sun, 19 Mar 2006 02:30:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Hospitalized_schizophrenics_are_at_a_higher_risk_f_3681_3681.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation_to_curtail_audit_3650_3650.shtml Schizophrenia Yale School of Medicine researchers are recruiting patients nationally for a clinical trial using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to help still the voices that are so troubling to some persons with schizophrenia. Sun, 12 Mar 2006 03:53:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation_to_curtail_audit_3650_3650.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Loss_of_PRODH_and_COMT_gene_activity_linked_to_sch_2935_2935.shtml Schizophrenia Disruption of the normal interaction between the genes PRODH and COMT contributes directly to major symptoms of schizophrenia by upsetting the balance of the brain chemicals glutamate and dopamine, according to a group of investigators that includes a scientist now at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The investigators developed a model of schizophrenia that provides a way to study and understand how the loss of both PRODH and COMT gene activity contributes to the symptoms of schizophrenia. The insights they gained into the disease with this model are important because the loss of the PRODH gene causes the imbalance in the levels of both glutamate and dopamine; and this imbalance contributes directly to the symptoms of schizophrenia, according to Stanislav Zakharenko, MD, PhD, an assistant member of the Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude. Fri, 02 Dec 2005 19:04:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Loss_of_PRODH_and_COMT_gene_activity_linked_to_sch_2935_2935.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Oct-6_protein_not_a_biological_marker_for_schizoph_2695_2695.shtml Schizophrenia The protein Oct-6 is not a biological marker for schizophrenia. The results of a study published today in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry contradict previous findings and show that Oct-6, a protein involved in neurodevelopment, is normally expressed in the adult brain and cannot be used to identify patients with schizophrenia. Mon, 24 Oct 2005 14:04:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Oct-6_protein_not_a_biological_marker_for_schizoph_2695_2695.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/CATIE_study_to_guide_schizophrenia_treatment_2435_2435.shtml Schizophrenia A large study funded by NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) provides, for the first time, detailed information comparing the effectiveness and side effects of five medications – both new and older medications – that are currently used to treat people with schizophrenia. Overall, the medications were comparably effective but were associated with high rates of discontinuation due to intolerable side effects or failure to adequately control symptoms. Surprisingly, the older, less expensive medication used in the study generally performed as well as the newer medications. The study, which included more than 1,400 people, supplies important new information that will help doctors and patients choose the most appropriate medication according to the patients' individual needs. Tue, 20 Sep 2005 21:47:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/CATIE_study_to_guide_schizophrenia_treatment_2435_2435.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/CAPON_and_Schizophrenia_Does_Size_Matter_2383_2383.shtml Schizophrenia Schizophrenia and bipolar disease are complex diseases, with multiple genes and environmental factors thought to be responsible for their manifestation. Many reports have implicated changes in certain regions of the human genome in schizophrenia. An area on Chromosome 1 has been associated with the disease in different studies and populations. Linda Brzustowicz and colleagues had previously described association of several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within a gene called CAPON (for carboxyl-terminal PDZ ligand of neuronal nitric oxide synthase) with schizophrenia in a set of Canadian families. A separate study in a Chinese population found an association between schizophrenia and a separate group of SNPs within CAPON. CAPON is an attractive candidate for a “schizophrenia gene”: CAPON was first identified as a protein binding to neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and indirect evidence suggests that it might be linked to the regulation of glutamate neurotransmission. However, so far, no coding sequence mutations in CAPON have been found in patients with schizophrenia. Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:04:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/CAPON_and_Schizophrenia_Does_Size_Matter_2383_2383.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Dopamine_and_glutamate_hypothesis_reconciled_2373_2373.shtml Schizophrenia Yale School of Medicine researchers published a report this month in the Archives of General Psychiatry that highlights the interplay of two brain signaling systems, glutamate and dopamine, in psychosis and cognitive function. Tue, 13 Sep 2005 04:28:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Dopamine_and_glutamate_hypothesis_reconciled_2373_2373.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_may_not_exist_2352_2352.shtml Schizophrenia Schizophrenia has been attributed to everything from genetic predisposition, brain chemistry, sufferers' home environment and even cat-borne viruses, but no consistent causal pattern has ever been identified. As a result, treatment outcomes for today's patients are not very different from those of patients treated 100 years ago. Sat, 10 Sep 2005 15:16:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_may_not_exist_2352_2352.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Odd_behavior_and_creativity_may_go_hand-in-hand_2290_2290.shtml Schizophrenia A quirky or socially awkward approach to life might be the key to becoming a great artist, composer or inventor. New research in individuals with schizotypal personalities—people characterized by odd behavior and language but who are not psychotic or schizophrenic—offers the first neurological evidence that these individuals are more creative than normal or fully schizophrenic people, and rely more heavily on the right sides of their brains than the general population to access their creativity. Wed, 07 Sep 2005 08:13:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Odd_behavior_and_creativity_may_go_hand-in-hand_2290_2290.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Hope_of_early_diagnostic_tool_for_schizophrenia_an_1995_1995.shtml Schizophrenia Key research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) could lead to the first early diagnostic tool for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. <br/> Thu, 04 Aug 2005 23:50:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Hope_of_early_diagnostic_tool_for_schizophrenia_an_1995_1995.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Quetiapine_effective_in_reducing_aggression_amp_vi_1733_1733.shtml Schizophrenia A new study, published today in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental,1 shows that the atypical antipsychotic SEROQUEL (quetiapine), may be an effective treatment option for patients with schizophrenia who exhibit aggressive behaviour during psychotic episodes. Mon, 20 Jun 2005 16:01:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Quetiapine_effective_in_reducing_aggression_amp_vi_1733_1733.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_is_less_prevalent_than_textbook_figu_1596_1596.shtml Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness and a major contributor to the global burden of disease, but how many people are actually suffering from the disease worldwide? John McGrath and colleagues from the University of Queensland have conducted the most comprehensive analysis on the topic and now report their findings in the May issue of the international open-access journal PLoS Medicine. Tue, 31 May 2005 19:02:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_is_less_prevalent_than_textbook_figu_1596_1596.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Quetiapine_Improves_Cognitive_Function_in_Schizoph_1551_1551.shtml Schizophrenia Clinical study data showed SEROQUEL improved overall cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia; Database analysis showed greater compliance with atypical antipsychotics Tue, 24 May 2005 12:18:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Quetiapine_Improves_Cognitive_Function_in_Schizoph_1551_1551.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Maternal_Exposure_to_Parasitic_Infection_may_Incre_1487_1487.shtml Schizophrenia A study published last month in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests an association between maternal exposure to toxoplasmosis and increased risk for developing schizophrenia in adult children. Tue, 17 May 2005 18:48:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Maternal_Exposure_to_Parasitic_Infection_may_Incre_1487_1487.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Olanzapine_prevents_Brain_Loss_in_Schizophrenia_959_959.shtml Schizophrenia A new brain imaging study of recently diagnosed schizophrenia patients has found, for the first time, that the loss of gray matter typically experienced by patients can be prevented by one of the new atypical antipsychotic drugs, olanzapine, but not by haloperidol, an older, conventional drug. Tue, 05 Apr 2005 17:06:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Olanzapine_prevents_Brain_Loss_in_Schizophrenia_959_959.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Images_of_brain_activity_may_hold_clues_to_the_ons_627_627.shtml Schizophrenia A decline in function in the prefrontal cortex, the "executive" or front part of the brain, is present in high-risk individuals experiencing early symptoms of schizophrenia and may reflect biological changes that precede the onset of diagnosable illness, the study indicates. Thu, 17 Mar 2005 19:10:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Images_of_brain_activity_may_hold_clues_to_the_ons_627_627.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Nicotine_could_have_a_beneficial_effect_on_the_sym_530_530.shtml Schizophrenia Published in the March issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, the study set out to explore the hypothesis that smoking is a form of 'self-medication' for people with schizophrenia. Thu, 03 Mar 2005 18:05:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Nicotine_could_have_a_beneficial_effect_on_the_sym_530_530.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_can_be_predicted_years_before_development_261.shtml Schizophrenia It is possible to predict with some accuracy which people in a high-risk group who will (and will not) develop schizophrenia, some years before the development of the psychosis. The latest publication from the Edinburgh High-Risk Study, which appears in the January 2005 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, has shown that among people at increased genetic risk of schizophrenia, a state of vulnerability will occur in many more individuals than will actually develop the disorder. Fri, 07 Jan 2005 04:42:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/Schizophrenia_can_be_predicted_years_before_development_261.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/painkillers-pregnancy-schizophrenia_36.shtml Schizophrenia Children born to mothers who took analgesics in the second three months of pregnancy run a more than four-fold greater risk of developing schizophrenia, a new study from Denmark has found. Tue, 02 Nov 2004 15:17:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/schizophrenia/painkillers-pregnancy-schizophrenia_36.shtml