Schizophrenia News and Research

Latest Schizophrenia News and Research

Acute schizophrenia shows increased NMDA-R antibody prevalence

Patients with acute schizophrenia have an increased prevalence of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antibodies that is distinct from that seen in NMDA-R encephalitis, scientists have found.

31 Jan 2013

New insight into eczema’s itch

Research shows that innate lymphoid cells accumulate in active eczema lesions and may contribute to disease progression.

31 Jan 2013

Erbin protein critical to brain excitement

Scientists have found an early step in how the brain's inhibitory cells get excited. A natural balance of excitement and inhibition keeps the brain from firing electrical impulses randomly and excessively, resulting in problems such as schizophrenia and seizures. However excitement is required to put on the brakes.

31 Jan 2013

Birthweight extremes influence psychotic symptom severity

Both high and low birthweight increase the severity of psychotic symptoms, particularly disorganized and negative symptoms, research indicates.

30 Jan 2013

MDGA proteins associated with autism suppress inhibitory synapse formation

Synapse development is promoted by a variety of cell adhesion molecules that connect neurons and organize synaptic proteins. Many of these adhesion molecules are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders; mutations in neuroligin and neurexin proteins, for example, are associated with autism and schizophrenia.

30 Jan 2013

Tofacitinib fights rheumatoid arthritis progression

Tofacitinib treats symptoms and prevents structural damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who do not respond well to methotrexate, indicate phase III trial findings.

29 Jan 2013

Dectin-1 potential target for nasal polyposis

The transmembrane protein Dectin-1 appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis, providing a potential new target for treating the condition, report Chinese researchers.

29 Jan 2013

Tacrolimus breast milk transfer concerns allayed

Breastfeeding mothers taking tacrolimus do not pass the immunosuppressant on to their babies when breastfeeding, study results show.

29 Jan 2013

Gesture imitation impaired in schizophrenia patients

Schizophrenia patients have impaired gesture imitation, especially when the imitation depends on working memory and involves multiple actions, show study results.

29 Jan 2013

Quantitative MRIs evade multiple sclerosis clinicoradiologic paradox

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging can detect microstructural changes in the spinal cords of patients with multiple sclerosis that correlate with observed differences in clinical disability, according to a cross-sectional study in Neurology.

28 Jan 2013

Rotavirus vaccination in children impacts on adults

Vaccinating children against rotavirus should be encouraged, say researchers, following findings that the prevalence of the disease has recently halved among unvaccinated adults in the USA.

28 Jan 2013

Asthma linked to atopic dermatitis persistence

Asthma is associated with rash persistence in children with atopic dermatitis, US researchers report.

28 Jan 2013

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children: an interview with Donna Gillies

Children with PTSD suffer significant distress or negative impacts on their daily lives. Estimates of the prevalence of PTSD in children and adolescents experiencing trauma are generally very high, at 30% to 40%.

28 Jan 2013

Undetected comorbidities linked to increased mortality in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia have elevated mortality, the leading causes of which appear to be ischemic heart disease and cancer, a Swedish national cohort study shows.

25 Jan 2013

Basal tryptase linked to severe reactions in children with sting allergy

Elevated levels of serum basal tryptase are associated with an increased risk for systemic reactions in children with insect venom allergy, research shows.

25 Jan 2013

Adolescent declines in cognitive performance predict later psychosis

Adolescents and young adults experiencing relative declines in cognitive performance have an increased risk for later psychosis, with a decline in verbal ability between 13 and 18 years of age a strong predictor, conclude researchers.

25 Jan 2013

Semantic priming abnormalities differ between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Patients with bipolar disorder have decreased semantic priming, the results of a preliminary study indicate.

25 Jan 2013

Orbitofrontal cortex abnormality characteristic of deficit schizophrenia

The orbitofrontal cortex appears to play an important role in the development of severe negative symptoms in people with deficit schizophrenia, researchers suggest.

25 Jan 2013

New and efficient process to make popular medication for mental illness

In a demonstration of the power of green chemistry, scientists are reporting development of a new and more efficient process for making one of the most costly and widely used medications for severe mental illness.

25 Jan 2013

Yoga has positive effects on major psychiatric disorders

Yoga has positive effects on mild depression and sleep complaints, even in the absence of drug treatments, and improves symptoms associated with schizophrenia and ADHD in patients on medication, according to a systematic review of the exercise on major clinical psychiatric disorders.

25 Jan 2013