Science News about Schizophrenia
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Science News about Schizophrenia
- Major NIMH Research Project to Test Approaches to Altering the Course of Schizophrenia
- July 21, 2009 • Press Release
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is launching a large-scale research project to explore whether using early and aggressive treatment, individually targeted and integrating a variety of different therapeutic approaches, will reduce the symptoms and prevent the gradual deterioration of functioning that is characteristic of chronic schizophrenia. - Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Share Genetic Roots
- July 01, 2009 • Press Release
A trio of genome-wide studies – collectively the largest to date – has pinpointed a vast array of genetic variation that cumulatively may account for at least one third of the genetic risk for schizophrenia. One of the studies traced schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in part, to the same chromosomal neighborhoods. - Flow of Potassium Into Cells Implicated in Schizophrenia
- May 05, 2009 • Press Release
A study on schizophrenia has implicated machinery that maintains the flow of potassium in cells and revealed a potential molecular target for new treatments. Expression of a previously unknown form of a key such potassium channel was found to be 2.5 fold higher than normal in the brain memory hub of people with the chronic mental illness and linked to a hotspot of genetic variation. - Gene On/Off Instructions Inherited Via Shadowy Mechanism
- April 06, 2009 • Science Update
The first large-scale study of its kind in twins has turned up evidence that we inherit instructions for the turning on and off of genes via mechanisms beyond the traditional sequence differences in the genetic code. Moreover, the results suggest that early random errors in replicating these instructions may trump environmental influences in shaping us. - New Silvio O. Conte Centers Address Brain Development, Disorders
- March 18, 2009 • Science Update
With a mandate to use innovative, multidisciplinary research approaches to address important mental health questions, four newly funded centers have begun investigations of schizophrenia, brain development, and adolescent mood disorders. - Expert Panel Addresses High Rates of Smoking in People with Psychiatric Disorders
- February 18, 2009 • Science Update
Numerous biological, psychological, and social factors are likely to play a role in the high rates of smoking in people with psychiatric disorders, according to the report of an expert panel convened by the National Institute of Mental Health. The report reviews current literature and identifies research needed to clarify these factors and their interactions, and to improve treatment aimed at reducing the rates of illness and mortality from smoking in this population. - Study Probes Environment-Triggered Genetic Changes in Schizophrenia
- December 24, 2008 • Science Update
The first study of its kind to pinpoint environment-triggered genetic changes in schizophrenia has been launched with $9.8 million in funding from NIMH. The five-site study seeks telltale marks in the genome that hold clues to how nurture interacts with nature to produce the illness. - Not All Antipsychotics Created Equal: Analysis Reveals Important Differences
- December 09, 2008 • Science Update
An analysis of studies on antipsychotics reveals multiple differences among the newer, second-generation antipsychotics as well as the older medications, and suggests the current classification system blurs important differences, rendering it unhelpful. - Brain's Wiring Stunted, Lopsided in Childhood Onset Schizophrenia
- October 30, 2008 • Science Update
Growth of the brain's long distance connections, called white matter, is stunted and lopsided in children who develop psychosis before puberty, NIMH researchers have discovered. - Certain Antipsychotic Medications May Increase Risk for Heart Disease
- October 16, 2008 • Science Update
Certain atypical antipsychotic medications may raise the risk for heart disease in people with schizophrenia, according to an analysis of data from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) study. - New Study to Evaluate Ways to Control Metabolic Side Effects of Antipsychotics
- October 01, 2008 • Science Update
A new NIMH-funded grant will examine ways to control the metabolic side effects associated with the use of the newer atypical antipsychotic medications in children with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. - Why “My Get Up and Go Has Got Up and Went”
- September 15, 2008 • Science Update
If, as the song laments, our "get up and go" fades as we get older, it may stem from aging-related changes in a brain reward circuit. - Gene Variants Force Mental Trade-offs: Efficiency vs. Resiliency
- September 15, 2008 • Science Update
Mice genetically engineered to have an over active version of a human gene, like their human counterparts, gain in emotional mettle under stress, but at a cost of less efficient thinking, NIMH scientists have discovered. - Newer Antipsychotics No Better Than Older Drug in Treating Child and Adolescent Schizophrenia
- September 15, 2008 • Press Release
Two newer atypical antipsychotic medications were no more effective than an older conventional antipsychotic in treating child and adolescent schizophrenia and may lead to more metabolic side effects, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - Childhood Bedwetting Occurred Twice as Often in Adults with Schizophrenia
- August 29, 2008 • Science Update
Childhood bedwetting occurred twice as often in adults with schizophrenia than in their unaffected brothers and sisters, according to a new study from researchers at NIMH. - Increased Burden of Rare Genetic Variations Found in Schizophrenia
- July 30, 2008 • Press Release
People with schizophrenia bear an "increased burden" of rare deletions and duplications of genetic material, genome-wide, say researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). - Health Risks Associated with Certain Antipsychotics Warrant Extra Monitoring
- July 24, 2008 • Science Update
Some atypical antipsychotics may be more likely than others to cause metabolic and cardiovascular side effects, according to recent analyses using data from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE). - Newer Antipsychotics No Better Than Older Medications in Reducing Schizophrenia-related Violence
- July 11, 2008 • Science Update
Antipsychotic medications can reduce the risk of violence among people with schizophrenia, but the newer atypical antipsychotics are no more effective in doing so than older medications, according to a recent analysis of data from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE). - Abnormal Surge in Brain Development Occurs in Teens and Young Adults with Schizophrenia
- July 08, 2008 • Science Update
Schizophrenia may occur, in part, because brain development goes awry during adolescence and young adulthood, when the brain is eliminating some connections between cells as a normal part of maturation, results of a study suggest. The new report appears online July 8, 2008 in Molecular Psychiatry. - NIMH Schizophrenia Initiative Featured in Biological Psychiatry
- July 03, 2008 • Science Update
An NIMH initiative to fill the gap between advances in basic cognitive neuroscience and practical clinical applications for patients with schizophrenia is the topic of the July 1, 2008 issue of Biological Psychiatry. - Violence in Schizophrenia Patients More Likely Among Those with Childhood Conduct Problems
- July 02, 2008 • Press Release
Some people with schizophrenia who become violent may do so for reasons unrelated to their current illness, according to a new study analyzing data from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials for Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE). - Mice Expressing Human Genes Bred to Help Unravel Mental Disorders
- June 26, 2008 • Science Update
New mouse strains engineered to express human genes related to mental disorders are being developed under a recently-launched grant program from NIMH’s Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science. - Study launched to test possible preventive treatment for schizophrenia in high risk youth
- May 01, 2008 • Science Update
NIMH has recently awarded a grant to study whether an intensive computerized training program can help prevent those at high risk of developing schizophrenia from having a first psychotic episode and improve adaptive functioning. The program is based on principles of brain development and resilience and an understanding of the processes that go awry in schizophrenia. - Rates of Rare Mutations Soar Three to Four Times Higher in Schizophrenia
- March 27, 2008 • Press Release
People with schizophrenia have high rates of rare genetic deletions and duplications that likely disrupt the developing brain, according to studies funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. - Scans Reveal Faulty Brain Wiring Caused by Missing Genes
- February 20, 2008 • Science Update
An NIMH study using an emerging imaging technology has discovered faulty wiring in the brains of people with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects some aspects of thinking. - Tomorrow’s Antidepressants: Skip the Serotonin Boost?
- February 14, 2008 • Science Update
New research adds to evidence of potentially better molecular targets in the brain to treat depression and other mental disorders, according to NIMH-funded scientists. - Scientists Can Predict Psychotic Illness in up to 80 Percent of High-Risk Youth
- January 07, 2008 • Press Release
Youth who are going to develop psychosis can be identified before their illness becomes full-blown 35 percent of the time if they meet widely accepted criteria for risk, but that figure rises to 65 to 80 percent if they have certain combinations of risk factors, the largest study of its kind has shown. Knowing what these combinations are can help scientists predict who is likely to develop the illnesses within two to three years with the same accuracy that other kinds of risk factors can predict major medical diseases, such as diabetes. - Real-World Outcomes in Schizophrenia Are Focus of Two New NIMH Grants
- January 04, 2008 • Science Update
Two new NIMH grants are aimed at determining the most accurate methods of measuring how well community-dwelling people with schizophrenia are faring. Results of the project are meant to provide scientists who conduct future research on the effectiveness of treatments with tools that will reflect the truest possible picture of daily-life outcomes. - Ethnicity Predicts How Gene Variations Affect Response to Schizophrenia Medications
- January 02, 2008 • Science Update
Different variations in the same gene influence how well different ethnic groups, and people within the same ethnic group, respond to various antipsychotic medications, report NIMH-funded researchers. If confirmed, their findings could one day help clinicians predict which medication is most likely to help a patient, based on his or her genetic makeup. - Schizophrenia-Related Gene Linked to Imbalance in Dopamine Pathways
- December 17, 2007 • Science Update
Forms of a gene known to increase risk for schizophrenia may create an imbalance in brain pathways for dopamine, suggests a recent study by NIMH scientists. - How Schizophrenia Develops: Major Clues Discovered
- October 17, 2007 • Press Release
Schizophrenia may occur, in part, because of a problem in an intermittent on/off switch for a gene involved in making a key chemical messenger in the brain, scientists have found in a study of human brain tissue. - Suspect Schizophrenia Genes Act Together to Thwart Working Memory
- August 28, 2007 • Science Update
Two gene variants implicated in schizophrenia interact to degrade the brain's ability to process information, NIMH researchers have discovered. - Antipsychotic Medications for Schizophrenia on Equal Footing in Improving Patients’ Thinking Skills
- June 04, 2007 • Science Update
Patients with schizophrenia taking antipsychotic medications experience a small improvement in thinking and reasoning skills (neurocognition), but no one medication appears to be better than the others in improving these skills during the first two crucial months of treatment, according to the latest results from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials for Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE). - New Details in Schizophrenia Treatment Trial Emerge
- March 01, 2007 • Press Release
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. - Common Gene Version Optimizes Thinking — but With a Possible Downside
- February 09, 2007 • Press Release
Most people inherit a version of a gene that optimizes their brain’s thinking circuitry, yet also appears to increase risk for schizophrenia, a severe mental illness marked by impaired thinking, scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered. - Gene Variant Linked to Schizophrenia
- January 23, 2007 • Science Update
A gene implicated in schizophrenia in adults has now also been linked to schizophrenia in children for the first time, strengthening evidence that the gene plays a role in the disease. - Older Medication May Be More Cost-Effective for Some Patients with Schizophrenia
- December 01, 2006 • Press Release
A new study analyzing the economic implications of the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) concludes that the older (first generation) antipsychotic medication perphenazine was less expensive and no less effective than the newer (second generation) medications used in the trial during initial treatment, suggesting that older antipsychotics still have a role in treating schizophrenia. - New Schizophrenia Trial: Does Method of Administering Medication Make a Difference?
- September 05, 2006 • Science Update
A new clinical trial is testing whether an injection of a long-lasting antipsychotic medication every two weeks results in better adherence to treatment and better outcomes among people with schizophrenia than do oral medications taken daily. - New Factors Identified for Predicting Violence in Schizophrenia
- July 18, 2006 • Science Update
A study of adults with schizophrenia showed that symptoms of losing contact with reality, such as delusions and hallucinations, increased the odds of serious violence nearly threefold. - Studies ID Molecular Accomplices of Suspect Schizophrenia Genes
- May 02, 2006 • Science Update
NIMH-funded researchers have discovered how certain genes work at the molecular level to increase the risk of schizophrenia. - Studies Offer New Information About Treatment Choices for Schizophrenia — Phase 2 Results
- April 01, 2006 • Science Update
A national clinical trial comparing clozapine with other new-generation antipsychotic medications for the treatment of chronic schizophrenia has shown that people who switched to clozapine from their first medication because it failed to manage symptoms adequately were twice as likely to continue treatment as patients who switched to other antipsychotic medications. - Web Forum Launched for Schizophrenia Researchers
- October 28, 2005 • Press Release
Researchers trying to crack one of medicine's most perplexing unsolved mysteries can now keep abreast of late-breaking developments via the Schizophrenia Research Forum, a website launched this month with funding from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - Teens with Deletion Syndrome Confirm Gene’s Role in Psychosis
- October 23, 2005 • Press Release
A study in youth who are missing part of a chromosome is further implicating a suspect gene in schizophrenia. - NIMH Study To Guide Treatment Choices for Schizophrenia (Phase 1 Results)
- September 19, 2005 • Press Release
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. - Brain Scans Reveal How Gene May Boost Schizophrenia Risk
- April 21, 2005 • Press Release
Clues about how a suspect version of a gene may slightly increase risk for schizophrenia are emerging from a brain imaging study by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). - Stress Impairs Thinking Via Mania-Linked Enzyme
- October 29, 2004 • Press Release
An errant enzyme linked to bipolar disorder, in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, impairs cognition under stress, an animal study shows. - Schizophrenia Gene Variant Linked to Risk Traits
- August 11, 2004 • Press Release
Researchers at the NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have identified a relationship between a small section of one gene, the brain chemical messenger glutamate, and a collection of traits known to be associated with schizophrenia. - Research to Test Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
- May 06, 2004 • Press Release
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a four-year, $9 million contract to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and five other academic medical centers to create a network of Treatment Units for Research on Neurocognition and Schizophrenia (TURNS). - Mental Illness Genetics Among Science’s Top “Breakthroughs“ for 2003
- December 22, 2003 • Press Release
Research on the genetics of mental illness, most of it NIMH-funded and much of it in the Institute’s own laboratories, was named the #2 scientific "breakthrough of the year" by Science magazine in its December l9, 2003, issue. - New Program Will Pursue Schizophrenia Gene Leads
- September 12, 2003 • Press Release
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced a new program expanding genetics research on schizophrenia in its own Bethesda, Maryland, laboratories. - NIMH Awards $22.6 Million for Center for Collaborative Research on Mental Disorders
- July 01, 2003 • Press Release
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has funded a five-year, $22.6 million Center for Collaborative Genetic Studies on Mental Disorders at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. - Gene Enhances Prefrontal Function at a Price
- May 07, 2003 • Press Release
Studies of a gene that affects how efficiently the brain’s frontal lobes process information are revealing some untidy consequences of a tiny variation in its molecular structure and how it may increase susceptibility to schizophrenia. - Scans Link 2 Key Pieces of Schizophrenia Puzzle
- January 28, 2002 • Press Release
Using functional brain imaging, National Institute of Mental Health scientists for the first time have linked two key, but until now unconnected, brain abnormalities in schizophrenia.
