Schizophrenia News and Research

RSS

Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating disorder which affects more than two million Americans, and millions more worldwide. While significant progress has been made in understanding the disease and developing treatments, there remains a significant unmet medical need. More than 50% of patients switch their medication in a given year due to either poor response or the experience of adverse events.

Researchers discover how new techniques may alter the synaptic connection of neurons

The brain has the potential to change the way neurons communicate with one another. That is how it prevents out-of-control brain activity. Scientists have discovered a mechanism that plays a key role in this.

21 Apr 2022

Genomics provides a deeper understanding of the cause of hydrocephalus

The cerebral ventricles—four linked cavities of the brain that are packed with cerebrospinal fluid—become enlarged in hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain;” however, the cause is unknown in many instances.

20 Apr 2022

16 distinct cell populations identified in a key brain region for substance use disorders

In a work of systematic biology that advances the field, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have identified 16 distinct cell populations in a complex area of the midbrain called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA.

18 Apr 2022

Researchers identify specific genes that cause schizophrenia

A substantial number of individual genes that potentially play essential roles in schizophrenia have been uncovered in the largest-ever genomic analysis of the psychiatric condition.

11 Apr 2022

Researchers identify a large number of specific genes associated with schizophrenia

What is the role of genetics in schizophrenia? To address this question, an international group of researchers led by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Cardiff University developed and conducted the largest-ever genetic study on schizophrenia.

8 Apr 2022

Researchers discover 15 genetic 'hotspots' that speed up or slow down brain aging

Researchers from a USC-led consortium have discovered 15 "hotspots" in the genome that either speed up brain aging or slow it down -; a finding that could provide new drug targets to resist Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative brain disorders, as well as developmental delays.

6 Apr 2022

New database provides extensive information on kinase-associated neural protein phosphorylation

Biological functions rely on accurate cellular communication involving different molecules. Most major signaling pathways involved in such communication, called signal transduction, often involve a family of kinases—enzymes catalyzing the transfer of phosphates between specific substrate molecules.

17 Mar 2022

Insight into oligodendrocyte cells could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases

New research may help scientists locate immature cells in the central nervous system that could shed light on the causes of neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis-;and autoimmune disease that affects the brain and nervous system-;and allow for the development of better therapeutic treatments.

14 Mar 2022

Microglia help neurons grow synapses critical to cognitive functioning, research finds

Microglia, the immune cells of the brain, are known for eating up unwanted items like germs and debris, much as their counterparts do in the rest of the body.

8 Mar 2022

Study takes a deep dive into the molecular biology of the brain in bipolar disorder patients

In a comprehensive study involving one of the largest-ever samples of post-mortem brains, scientists at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, in collaboration with researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, have pinpointed significant differences in gene expression in two specific regions of the brains of hundreds of patients who had bipolar disorder.

8 Mar 2022

Three proteins as potential new therapeutic targets in movement disorders

Three members of a family of proteins have been identified that are important to helping us fine tune the activity of brain chemicals which enable us to walk or stand at will, scientists report.

11 Feb 2022

Neurons derived from human stem cells can predict the cardinal features of psychiatric illness

In a breakthrough that holds significant promise for early diagnosis and better treatment of psychiatric illness, researchers have for the first time used neurons derived from human stem cells to predict the cardinal features of a psychiatric illness, such as psychosis and cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia.

11 Jan 2022

Scientists discover hotspots in the 'dark genome' associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Scientists investigating the DNA outside our genes - the 'dark genome' - have discovered recently evolved regions that code for proteins associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

24 Dec 2021

Multiple changes in brain cells during embryonic development may contribute to schizophrenia

Multiple changes in brain cells during the first month of embryonic development may contribute to schizophrenia later in life, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

17 Dec 2021

Adults with rare genetic changes have poorer health, says study

According to a study, grown-ups with certain genetic causes of mental health and other brain disorders had substantially increased rates of chronic disease.

17 Dec 2021

Detecting high-impact rare genetic variants in individuals with severe schizophrenia

New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that examining genetic mutations in individuals with severe schizophrenia can improve the ability to detect disease-associated rare genetic variants.

15 Dec 2021

Study provides new insight into the genetics of severe schizophrenia

Columbia University researchers have determined that individuals who suffer from the most severe form of schizophrenia have a significantly higher number of rare mutations than more typical forms of the illness.

14 Dec 2021

Persistency allows value signals to be most effectively coded across different brain areas

In 2019 University of California San Diego researchers discovered the area of the brain where "value decisions" are made.

24 Nov 2021

Microbiome differences in autism reflect dietary preferences, says study

Earlier studies suggest that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be partly due to differences in the gut microbiota composition.

15 Nov 2021

Study sheds light on how genes and air pollution elevate healthy people’s depression risk

A genetic predisposition for depression combined with exposure to high-particulate-matter air pollution greatly elevates the risk that healthy people will experience depression, according to a first-of-its-kind study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences from neuroscientists at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, on the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, and Peking University in Beijing, China.

9 Nov 2021