Schizophrenia | Page 4 | Health Newstrack

Genetic errors may cause schizophrenia

A team of researchers at the University of Washington and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories has uncovered genetic errors that may shed light on the causes of schizophrenia. The scientists found that deletions and duplications of DNA are more common in people with the mental disorder, and that many of those errors occur in genes related to brain development and neurological function. – Schizophrenia, a debilitating psychiatric disorder, is caused by some genetic errors due to deletions and duplications of DNA are more common in people with the mental disorders, revealed by researchers at the University of Washington and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories.

Eli Lilly denied NYT report of schizophrenia drug Zyprexa

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) called the assertions in a New York Times online article ‘flat out wrong.’ A report in The New York Times that said a senior executive had encouraged the promotion of its schizophrenia drug Zyprexa for a use not approved by federal regulators. – Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) called the assertions in a New York Times online article ‘flat out wrong.’ A report in The New York Times that said a senior executive had encouraged the promotion of its schizophrenia drug Zyprexa for a use not approved by federal regulators.

Stress in pregnancy may lead to schizophrenia in offspring

This population-based study suggests that severe stress to a mother during the first trimester may alter the risk of schizophrenia in offspring. This finding is consistent with ecological evidence from whole populations exposed to severe stressors and suggests that environment may influence neurodevelopment at the feto-placental-maternal interface. – Most societies believe that a mother’s psychological state can influence her unborn baby. Children of women who undergo an extremely stressful event-such as the death of a close relative-during the first trimester of pregnancy appear more likely to develop schizophrenia, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Prenatal starvation may lead to addiction later in life

Babies conceived during a period of famine are at risk of developing addictions later in life, according to new research published in the international journal Addiction. – Babies conceived during a period of famine are at risk of developing addictions later in life, and a range of chronic disorders including physical conditions such as coronary heart disease, and psychiatric ones such as schizophrenia and clinical depression.

Pfizer updated CHANTIX label to quit smoking with more warnings

Pfizer’s CHANTIX label in the U.S. to include a warning for neuropsychiatric symptoms, including changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior. – Cigarette smoking is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States, with more than 438,000 U.S. deaths annually attributable to smoking. Patients who smoke cigarettes should be counseled to quit. CHANTIX was approved in May of 2006 in the U.S. as an aid to smoking cessation.

Depressed girls can’t smell the roses

New Tel Aviv University (TAU) research links depression to loss of the sense of smell, suggesting that the blues may have biological roots. – Can’t smell the roses? Maybe you’re depressed. Smell too much like a rose yourself? Maybe you’ve got the same problem. Scientists from Tel Aviv University recently linked depression to a biological mechanism that affects the olfactory glands. It might explain why some women, without realizing it, wear too much perfume.

Potential drugs for mental retardation and autism treatment

US researchers say they have successfully corrected key symptoms of a type of autism and mental retardation in mice, a development which could offer sufferers a potential treatment. – Researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have corrected key symptoms of mental retardation and autism in mice. The work, which will be reported in the Dec. 20 issue of Neuron, indicates that a certain class of drugs could have the same effect in humans. These drugs are not yet approved by the FDA, but will soon be entering into clinical trials.