Currently viewing the category: "schizophrenia"

Pregnancy Stress Linked to Schizophrenia

By On · Add Comment · In babies, epigenetics, gender identity disorder, genetic, gestation, mothers, pregnancy, psychopathy, schizophrenia, stress, war
Severe stress during pregnancy may help cause schizophrenia. So says a study out New York University School of Medicine. According to researchers, severe stress–like wars, natural disasters, terrorism, or sudden bereavement–can lead to epigenetic changes, which are changes in gene expression, not changes to the DNA itself.

The study looked at data from 88,829 people born in Jerusalem from 1964 to 1976. They wanted to see if an increase in schizophrenia occurred in babies born to women during the height of the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War. What they found is astounding: babies born to mothers who were two months pregnant in June of 1967 were significantly more likely to develop schizophrenia. The height of bombing in Jerusalem was a three day period from June 5-7.

Females born during this period (January 1968 to be exact) were 4.2 times more likely to develop schizophrenia than the 1.1 % of the population which is the global norm. Males born during this period were 1.2 times more likely to develop the mental illness. Wow! Although the researchers didn’t rule out a genetic link–that is, the babies had a high family risk for developing schizophrenia–it is unlikely. While schizophrenia in the general population has some family ties, the majority of cases do not. So epigenetics seems to be the logical mechanism.

I find these results fascinating, because I’m a firm believer that we all have every gene, but it’s whether or not it’s expressed that counts. This would explain some seemingly random human variations, like gender identity disorders, psychopathy, and schizophrenia. And it makes complete sense that a strong connection exists between Mom’s experiences during gestation and how baby forms.

In epigenetics, as it is understood and discussed today, we are talking about a narrow form of gene expression, a once in a lifetime event. In other words, humans are not susceptible to environmentally induced genetic changes multiple times in their lifetime; major genetic variations occur during gestational development only. In the case of severe stress, the stress hormones can affect the placenta, ultimately changing the environment of the fetus, which then changes in response.

But wait! Don’t freak out, soon to be mom’s: we’re talking about severe stress here, not simply getting in a fight with baby’s daddy. I reported in an earlier post that this just isn’t the case, so unless you’re involved in a major trauma, you probably have nothing to worry about. But I think we will learn in the near future just how much severe stressors during pregnancy can affect the unborn child. Any thoughts?

LSD Helps Scientists ‘Tune In’ to Schizophrenia

By On · Add Comment · In delusions, glutamate receptors, hallucinations, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), schizophrenia, schizophrenics, serotonin
Timothy Leary might have been right after all–LSD does hold some keys in the world of pharmaceutical research. A new study shows that lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) changes the brain chemistry in a similar way that occurs in schizophrenics. And these findings may eventually lead to improved treatments for schizophrenia.

According to the research, LSD affects the same serotonin pathways that are imbalanced in schizophrenics, both leading to hallucinations and, at times, delusions. In the experiment it was found that LSD works simultaneously on serotonin and glutamate regulating receptors, and these two complexes together create the effects of the drug. When mice under the influence of LSD were given a second drug–one which inhibited the binding of LSD to the glutamate regulating receptors–it neutralized the hallucinogenic effects (how they figured that one out I’ll never know).

The importance of this study is that previous treatments for schizophrenics concentrated on regulating serotonin levels by acting solely on the serotonin receptors. But now there is evidence that attacking both the serotonin and glutamate receptors are important when treating hallucinations and delusions common to both schizophrenics and acid heads.

Nice work out of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The scientists conducting the study have pointed out that they were not originally looking at schizophrenia at all, but, as you may or may not know, LSD does have a way of opening up doors to the unexplored. Doh! Did I just say that? Oh well–tune in, turn on, and drop out, hippies. See you in San Francisco.

Ratso Schizo!

By On · Add Comment · In antidepressants, biochemical cause, brain, delusions, depression, genetic engineering, mood changes, paranoia, schizophrenia

Scientists have been genetically engineering laboratory mice to develop the physical and psychological characteristics of schizophrenia. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, used genetic engineering techniques to create mice that suffer from delusions, mood changes and paranoia – the same symptoms human schizophrenics suffer from. They say the findings will help in the understanding and treatment of this disorder, especially in how external factors, like stress or viruses, might aggravate symptoms. Take a peek here to see what one of theses rodents looks like

My only question is this: How did they observe delusions in rodents? A delusion is a pathologically false belief, and I just can’t imagine what a mouse would have to do to be labeled that! Perhaps it was an incorrigible conviction that a cat was a hunk of cheese, or something like that. Either way, it’s cruel and unusual – placing that cat in front of a cheese-hallucinating mouse. I’m not the only one who thinks so, either. Animal rights groups are up in arms over this study. They do not believe its necessary to “create” animals with this type of disorder, since schizophrenia is a “uniquely human feature.”

I’d have to agree. But there is an insistence within medical science to find the biochemical cause of mental illness – the same nonsense they have been trying to convince us of regarding depression for the last two decades. Find a biochemical cause, develop a biochemical “cure” – a new pharmaceutical, that is. At least that’s the rationale anyway.

Unfortunately, things are not that simple. When it comes to the human brain, there is still so much we do not yet know. At this time, not one shred of evidence points toward depression having a biochemical cause – but antidepressants are now the number one prescribed medication in the U.S.! Woohoo! Party! I talk at length about depression and antidepressant drug therapy in my upcoming book – The Six Keys To Optimal Health. And I guarantee you, it’s an eye-opener.

OK, now my other only question: If antidepressants are so good, why aren’t prescriptions going down? Hmmm…makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Dummy Weed?

By On · Add Comment · In controlled substances, federal agents, legalization, Legalize Pot, Los Angeles, marijuana clinics, medical marijuana, meta-analysis, psychotic illnesses, respiratory function, schizophrenia
Medical marijuana is dominating the news again. Last week, Congress defeated a measure that would have prevented the U.S. government from blocking the use of medical marijuana in states that allow it. On the same day, Wednesday, July 26, 2007, federal agents raided 10 marijuana clinics in the Los Angeles area. Seems like this battle will continue to rage on.

On the one side, you’ve got medical marijuana activists, which are really Legalize Pot advocates, and on the other, the federal government, or in some people’s opinions, the moral majorists. Basically, the former group wants the legalization of what they consider a benign substance, while the latter believes that all controlled substances are a danger to society.

I find this an interesting debate because it almost seems silly that a substance like marijuana would be illegal when taken in context to liquor, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals, all of which are more physiologically harmful to the body (for a laugh you have just got to see what the man on the street says about it all). Along with that, consider the benefits the government would achieve through legalization, like taxation and control, you know, things governments typically care about. It’s not like it wouldn’t be lucrative. I mean, doesn’t Snoop Dog still live here?

On the flip side, the medical marijuana clinics aren’t helping their cause any by supplying healthy customers with pot. These “clinics” are exploiting gray areas to basically operate as legal drug dens. Hey, I’m the first one to say that we should legalize marijuana – prostitution too – but first we’ll have to overcome our deep-rooted puritanical mores. Until then, well, the law is the law.

What I find particularly hysterical is that opponents to marijuana legalization (I’m using the term opponents here loosely – please play along) are looking for anything to rationalize their position. They are feeling hard pressed to show that marijuana use is harmful, so the best they can come up with is that pot smokers may be at a higher risk for schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses.

Let’s get serious here. First, these results come from a meta-analysis (a comparative study) of 35 studies done over the last 27 years and not a single clinically controlled study. This means that the conclusions have been extrapolated and are therefore not definitive, not at all. Further, we have no way of knowing whether the mental illnesses observed were due to marijuana use, or whether the mentally ill are more likely to smoke marijuana. Basically, this is a flawed study. Even the study’s authors admit that “it may be impossible to establish for sure whether cannabis causes psychosis on the basis of current methods.”

But wait; before you start thinking that there are no health risks associated with marijuana use, think again. Pot smoking is hard on the lungs, so it could affect respiratory function (increased coughs, asthma, and upper respiratory infections) and cardiovascular capacity. Interestingly, though, it does not increase one’s chances of developing lung cancer.

It has other physiological consequences too, like possible dizziness, confusion, light-headedness, racing heart, agitation, feeling of tenseness, dry mouth, increased appetite, and loss of coordination. Marijuana also has cognitive consequences like short term memory loss, paranoia, anxiety, interruption of linear memory (difficulty following a train of thought), altered sense of time, psychological dependence, and loss of motivation.

So don’t think that pot smoking is all just fun and games – it has its risks too. But as I’ve said before, compared to some other substances that are perfectly legal in this country, marijuana does seem a bit lite by comparison.

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