Studying Psychotic Symptoms in Marijuana Smokers at High Psychosis Risk

A small pilot study published September 17, 2017 in Psychiatry Research finds that marijuana can cause a temporary increase in psychotic-like states in people who are at high clinical risk for psychotic disorders. The preliminary study, which involved 12 young adults who reported weekly marijuana use, is the first to test the drug’s effects in people at high clinical risk for psychotic disorders under controlled laboratory conditions.

https://www.bbrfoundation.org/content/studying-psychotic-symptoms-marijuana-smokers-high-psychosis-risk 

Psychopathology of the 21st Century: Application to Schizophrenia

Failure of the disease model of Schizophrenia during the 20th century

At the turn of the twentieth century, Kraepelin conceptualized the disease model of dementia praecox (schizophrenia) and his classification model was enshrined in Western psychiatry for more than a century [3]. The disease model of schizophrenia included three core symptoms (delusions, hallucinations and disorganized thoughts) that were included in all diagnostic systems because they were the most frequently reported by patients [4]. The inclusion of three different groups of symptoms into the disease model of schizophrenia goes against the tenet of the disease model of classification because two patients with totally different symptoms can have the same diagnosis.

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http://austinpublishinggroup.com/schizophrenia/fulltext/schizophrenia-v4-id1030.php

Genome-Wide Studies Aid Investigation of Dual Diagnosis of Schizophrenia and Substance Use Disorder

Several new genome-wide investigations of schizophrenia and substance-use disorders are helping researchers understand how these two conditions may be related, according to a paper published in Genome Medicine.

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https://www.bbrfoundation.org/content/genome-wide-studies-aid-investigation-dual-diagnosis-schizophrenia-and-substance-use 

Powered-Up Probe ID’s Schizophrenia Genes That Stunt Brain Development

Scientists have pinpointed several schizophrenia-related gene variants that alter expression of other genes in illness-implicated circuitry of the human brain. Under-expression of a few of them stunted brain development in model systems in this largest study of its kind.

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https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2016/powered-up-probe-ids-schizophrenia-genes-that-stunt-brain-development.shtml

Schizophrenia’s Genetic “Skyline” Rising

The largest genomic dragnet of any psychiatric disorder to date has unmasked 108 chromosomal sites harboring inherited variations in the genetic code linked to schizophrenia, 83 of which had not been previously reported. By contrast, the “skyline” of such suspect variants associated with the disorder contained only 5 significant peaks in 2011. By combining data from all available schizophrenia genetic samples, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health powered the search for clues to the molecular basis of the disorder to a new level.

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https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2014/schizophrenias-genetic-skyline-rising.shtml

OCD Risk Higher When Several Variations in Gene Occur Together

Several variations within the same gene act together to raise the risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), new NIMH research suggests. The gene produces a protein that helps make the brain chemical serotonin available to brain cells.

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https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2008/ocd-risk-higher-when-several-variations-in-gene-occur-together.shtml

Worldwide Study Seeks to Unlock the Brain’s Genetic Code

Scientists collaborating across 250 institutions in 35 countries have identified variations of the genetic code that are associated with intracranial volume, which is a reflection of the maximum brain volume an individual achieves over a lifetime. These variations were also found to be associated with a person’s individual risk for Parkinson’s disease and to cognitive ability. The findings provide new avenues of research that may lead to an enhanced understanding of how differences in our genetic code can predispose individuals to brain disorders.

To view the rest of the article click on the link below

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2016/worldwide-study-seeks-to-unlock-the-brains-genetic-code.shtml