Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Early Schizophrenia Diagnosis Breakthroughs Continue

There have been a number of recent anouncements (see earlier stories in our Daily Schizophrenia News blog - in May, if I remember correctly) that research teams in the UK and at Yale University - have developed the ability (with a high degree of accuracy - of 95% or higher) to identify the key brain changes that result in schizophrenia, well before (up to years before) the person shows outward signs or symptoms of schizophrenia (which it is now confirmed only become noticeable to most people well after the disease and the brain damage has progressed. This early diagnosis offers the opportunity to intervene in the disease process well-before it gets to the point of being full-blown schizophrenia - with the potential to prevent the development of the disease.

Today another news story comes out - that seems to be a duplicate of these earlier stories - and states that:

"Using imaging software, doctors at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and Edinburgh University have identified changes in the brain that predispose people to develop schizophrenia later in life. The development is being hailed as a breakthrough in the early detection of schizophrenia that could lead to far more effective treatments, and possibly even prevention of the condition.

It�s been known for years that there is a heavy genetic component in at least half of all cases of schizophrenia. As in some cases of cancer, a number of genes in combination with environmental factors are likely to be responsible. It has also been known for some time that relatives of schizophrenia sufferers are statistically more likely to develop the condition themselves."

Source: bjhc&im Sept 2004