schizophrenia
Immune molecule regulates brain connections
The number of connections between nerve cells in the brain can be regulated by an immune system molecule, according to a new study from UC Davis. The research, published Feb. 27 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reveals a potential link between i…
Discovery of new gene mutation in schizophrenia offers a new target for drug therapies
In a major advance for schizophrenia research, an international team of scientists led by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and involving Trinity College Dublin researchers has identified a gene mutation strongly linked to s…
Research from MU Brain Imaging Center may lead to treatment of a variety of mental disorders
COLUMBIA, Mo. — One of the first studies published from the University of Missouri Brain Imaging Center (BIC) gives researchers insight into the brain and memory and may provide researchers clues to treating a variety of debilitating disorders.
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Targeting nicotine receptors to treat cognitive impairments in schizophrenia
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 a…
Neuronal migration errors: Right cells, wrong place
Philadelphia, PA, 4 January 2011 – Normally, cortical nerve cells or neurons reside in the brain’s gray matter with only a few scattered neurons in the white matter, but some people with schizophrenia have a higher number of neurons in the white mat…
Does sex matter? It may when evaluating mental status
Montreal, November 18, 2010 — Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that differs between the sexes in terms of age at onset, symptomatology, response to medication, and structural brain abnormalities. Now, a new study from the Université de Mon…
Schizophrenia and psychotic syndromes
Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders are a chronic and often disabling condition. Despite modern treatment techniques they still present an enormous burden to the patients and their relatives and take a serious toll in terms of human suffer…
Gene increases schizophrenia risk, study says
Scientists have discovered the first “risk gene” for schizophrenia found in the general population. An uncommon variation of a gene called Nogo, when inherited from both parents, increases the risk of developing schizophrenia, says a study to be published in Molecular Brain Research. Previous findings about other risk genes for the disease were restricted to specific ethnic groups. “Finding a risk gene in the general population – the first finding of this type internationally – opens the door to discovering new and related risk genes,” says one of the study’s authors. “Now scientists will know where to look for related genes…. This will help in diagnosis and potentially in the design of new medications for treatment of this terrible disease.”