Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

FDA orders AstraZeneca to Modify Promotions on Seroquel

The FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications, in a Nov. 16 letter (see below) to AstraZeneca, said the material is "false and misleading" because it minimized the risk of diabetes and did not adequately communicate the risk of neuroleptic malignant syndrome and tardive dyskinesia, which are serious muscular conditions. The marketing document that the FDA referenced is a fact sheet about Seroquel distributed to doctors along with the drug's FDA-approved product label. AstraZeneca says it will work with the FDA following the warning about promotional material for Seroquel. (Note: the side effects that the FDA letter discusses do, Read More...

Co-existing Psychiatric Disorders Common in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia

When young children have schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder they often (99% of those studied) have other (comorbid) psychiatric conditions as well. Researchers at the University of Colorado report in Schizophrenia Research that other than using mood-stabilizers for recurrent affective (mood) episodes, the other comorbid conditions are usually (more than 75% of the time) not being treated pharmacologically. The researchers, Randal Ross, Shari Heinlein and Hope Tregellas, comment that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV may be focusing attention to the schizophrenia diagnosis and away from recognizing and treating the comorbid conditions. A lack of supported treatment guidelines Read More...

Prenatal Doctor's Visit may be Three Months Too Late

While not specifically related to schizophrenia, the NY Times today had a valuable article on for women planning to have children to start their prenatal planning well in advance of getting pregnant, to maximize the probability of the health of the child. The story notes: For years, women have had it drummed into them that prenatal care is the key to having a healthy baby, and that they should see a doctor as soon as they know they are pregnant. But by then, it may already be too late. Public health officials are now encouraging women to make sure they Read More...

Medicine Safety Checklist

A key point made in the video "Tips for Taking Medicines Safely" on Science Daily is that the biggest cause of medication errors is a lack of communication. A checklist, discussed in the video, will increase communication between patient and doctor and reduce medication errors. Each item below is discussed in the video:Ask lots of questions.Carry with you a list of all medications, including all nutritional and herbal supplements, and bring the actual vials, bottles, and boxes in a bag to doctor appointments.Ensure the medication given to you at the pharmacy is what you have been prescribed.Ask the physician (or Read More...

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Linked to Increased Social Stress in Children

Past research reports have suggested that prenatal alcohol exposure may be linked to increased risk of schizophrenia in children. This week a new report comes out of the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Toronto, reporting that prenatal alcohol has also been linked to increased stress response in children, and that for safety sake women may want to stop drinking several months prior to pregnancy as alcohol may damage embryos during early pregnancy or possibly even prior to pregnancy (see more information on stress click here on the for the news on stress and schizophrenia). Obviously, more Read More...

Blame Myelin For Many Neuropsychiatric Disorders

What makes the human brain unique? Of the many explanations that can be offered, one that doesn't come readily to mind is - myelin. Conventional wisdom holds that myelin, the sheet of fat that coats a neuron's axon - a long fiber that conducts the neuron's electrical impulses - is akin to the wrapping around an electrical wire, protecting and fostering efficient signaling. But the research of UCLA neurology professor George Bartzokis, M.D., has already shown that myelin problems are implicated in diseases that afflict both young and old — from schizophrenia to Alzheimer's. Now, in a report published in Read More...

Diet and Nutrition May Play Key Role in Fighting Depression

CNN reported on the mounting evidence, noted by Dr. Dianne Volker and Jade Ng in the journal Nutrition and Dietetics, that diet and nutrition, including nutritional and herbal supplements, may play a key role in helping people fight depression. Volker and Ng point to a number of nutrients and supplements that have the potential to influence mood - some by increasing the absorption of chemical messengers in the brain and some by having a protective effect against depression. These nutrients include fish oils with a balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and B vitamins. The authors point out that Read More...

Massachusetts State Psychiatric Hospitals Not Admitting New Patients

With potentially devastating impact to entire families and thus to society at large, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is withholding the $425 million already approved by the Legislature earmarked for the state psychiatric hospitals, saying that the state cannot afford it. Because of the funding cuts, the the state hospitals, which provide care to hundreds of children and teens, are eliminating 170 staff positions and will be turning away new patients beginning 22 November 2006. Children's and teens' access to residential treatment will be restricted. With a display of in-fighting typical in an election year, Gov. Romney claims that the state Read More...

Ongoing Dispute over Schizophrenia Medication Effectiveness

The BBC news service has a story today on the ongoing disputes over the relative effectiveness of newer (so-called "atypical antipsychotic") medications, and older "typical antipsychotic" medications. The story notes: "Older schizophrenia drugs may be as effective as the new generation of medications, experts have suggested. A Manchester University study shows patients respond just as well, and perhaps better, to the older ones. The Archives of General Psychiatry findings run contrary to the widely held view that newer and more expensive drugs are safer and more effective. But critics say the newer drugs are better and preferred by patients because Read More...

Treating Negative Symptoms: An Expert Interview With Dr. Coyle

In this expert interview, Treating the Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia: An Expert Interview With Joseph Coyle, MD by Jessica Gould on Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health, Dr. Coyle explains what negative symptoms of schizophrenia are as opposed to positive and cognitive symptoms, the challenges of treating negative symptoms, and current headway being made. Although schizophrenia is most known for its positive symptoms with florid hallucinations and delusions, those symptoms tend to wax and wane over time, diminishing as the person ages. Enduring cognitive symptoms involving memory, decision making and problem solving ability, along with the negative social and motivational symptoms Read More...

A New Approach to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Schizophrenia

This news is from experiments being done in Europe earlier this year on cognitive behavioral therapy for schizophrenia. It sounds positive in this early test/case study, but the research needs to be duplicated and validated with many more people before conclusions can be drawn. The British Psychological Society blog notes: When it comes to the "positive" symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hearing voices, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has mostly been used to help reduce the distress and burden that they can cause. But now Jerome Favrod and colleagues in Switzerland have tested the idea that CBT could help tackle the Read More...

Stress, Dopamine and Unusual Experiences in Everyday Life

An interesting entry at the British Psychological Society Blog discusses the different perspectives on unusual experiences, perceptions, and dopamine. The entry notes:"To generalise, most psychiatrists see themselves as applied neuroscientists, while most clinical psychologists explain psychopathology in terms of mental processes and social relationships, and make little reference to the brain. This rift is partly fuelled by a lack of research that examines how biological and psychological factors interact to cause mental ill health. One 2005 study was a notable and refreshing exception, and has provided a compelling glimpse into how stress and the dopamine system interact to predict the Read More...

Poets and Artists Have as Many "Unusual Experiences" as People with Schizophrenia

The British Psychological Society this week, posted an entry in their BPS blog on a new research report that suggests that poets and artists have as many "unusual experiences" as people with schizophrenia. The blog entry noted: The idea that creative geniuses might not be entirely sane isn't exactly new. But just how much do creative types have in common with people suffering from psychosis? Well, according to Daniel Nettle at the University of Newcastle, serious poets and artists have just as many ‘unusual experiences’ as people diagnosed with schizophrenia. What saves them from the disabling effects of schizophrenia is Read More...

Cognitive Enhancement Drugs for Schizophrenia

One of the most serious of common symptoms in schizophrenia are cognitive (thinking) problems that make it very difficult to work or attend school. New drugs that are in development look promising for helping in these areas - but we hope that the NIMH starts some early tests like the CATIE comparison trial (Between old and new drugs) to validate the long term effectiveness of these medications so that people can tell whether they truly are effective. People are much more skeptical now. A new report (covered by UPI) updates us on the status of the new drugs that are Read More...

Psychiatric Wellness Program

A unique physical wellness program for psychiatric patients that has just begun at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Quebec (CHUQ) in Quebec City was designed and implemented when Dr. Christian L Shriqui became tired of seeing relapsed patients in the emergency room because they had stopped taking their medications due to problems with weight gain. Dr. Shriqui is a psychiatrist at CHUQ and also an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Laval in the same city. He described the wellness program to participants at the 56th Annual Conference of the Canadian Psychiatric Association meeting held in Toronto. People Read More...

Metabolic Syndrome (Diabetes) in Psychiatric Patients

From Symposium S10 Metabolic Health in Psychiatric Patients - 10 November 2006 Toronto. Written By Marvin Ross. An indispensable new tool for psychiatrists, according to Dr. Christian L Shriqui, is a tape measure. Psychiatrists should always take the waist measurement of their patients at the very first visit and at all subsequent visits thereafter. Dr. Claude Garceau reinforced this message in their joint presentation on the problems of the metabolic syndrome in psychiatric patients at the 56th Annual Conference of the Canadian Psychiatric Association meeting here. Dr. Shriqui is associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Laval in Quebec Read More...

Broken Homes Linked to Increased Risk of Psychosis, Schizophrenia

People from broken homes (i.e., divorced or separated parents) may be at a significantly greater risk to develop psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia, new research out of the UK suggests. In one study, university researchers discovered that separation from one or both parents for more than a year before the age of 16, as a consequence of family breakdown, was associated with a 2.5 fold (250%) increased risk of developing psychosis in adulthood. (Note: researchers aren't, we believe, suggesting that it is the act of divorce or separation that is increasing the risk for children of psychosis, rather the divorce Read More...

Marijuana / Cannabis Harms Memory and Learning

As we've noted in the past, marijuana / cannabis is strongly linked to increased risk for developing schizophrenia. New research has recently come out that indicates that it also harms memory and learning functions (that are commonly significantly reduced in schizophrenia). The New Scientist Magazine reported this week that on a new study demonstrating that Marijuana wreaks havoc on the brain's memory cells: "The active ingredient in the drug, tetrahydrocannabinoid (THC), disrupts the way nerves fire in the brain’s memory centre, a new study shows." In the study, "Normal rats accurately alternate their routes about 90% of the time. But Read More...

"Best Buy" drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia

Consumer Reports has a good article on the "Best Buy" drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia". The actual report is fairly good. Following is the summary from Consumer Reports: Treating Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Our Recommendations — A Summary Antipsychotic drugs help many people with schizophrenia live more meaningful, stable lives with fewer – and sometimes no – periods of hospitalization. But they are a highly problematic class of medicines. A sizeable percentage of people with schizophrenia get little or no benefit when they take an antipsychotic while others get only a partial reduction in symptoms. Side effects pose a Read More...

Intimacy: An Important Aspect in Recovery

Relationships can be more difficult for people with severe mental illness, but just as satisfying. Contrary to those who say that patients with schizophrenia should avoid intimate relationships for fear the stress might worsen their condition, some researchers are suggesting that intimate relationships are an important aspect of a fulfilling life. People have similar social aspirations (such as finding a compatible intimate partner to share life with) regardless of "diagnosis status". Healthy relationships can provide stability and support - essential aspects in recovery. With cases of HIV rising, and with the infection rate much higher in those with serious mental Read More...

Expert Interview with Dr. Seeman, Discoverer of Dopamine D2 Receptors

Thanks to Tim for directing us to this expert interview by Jessica Gould on Medscape, "Probing the Biology of Psychosis, Schizophrenia, and Antipsychotics: An Expert Interview With Dr. Philip Seeman, MD, PhD". (free registration required) Dr. Seeman had spent 12 years searching for what in the brain antipsychotics were targeting, before he discovered the dopamine D2 receptors. In this interview, Ms. Gould questions Dr. Seeman about the significance of that and other key discoveries over the last 43 years. Also discussed was the mechanism behind atypical antispychotics' lack of Parkinsonian side-effects as compared with the atypical antipsychotics, genetic biomarkers for Read More...

Executive Function Might Not Determine Genetic Vulnerability to Schizophrenia

A report from researchers in France refutes the usefulness of two widely-used tests to determine genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia in families of patients. They go on to say that dysfunction in executive processing should not be used as a marker of familial vulnerability for schizophrenia. Executive function is the complex, goal-oriented ability to plan and to organize. It includes sequencing, initiating, and sustaining behavior, as well as incorporating feedback and making progressive adjustments in order to achieve the desired goal. The two methods used to test executive function were the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Trail Making Test Read More...

Officials Clash Over Mentally Ill in Florida Jails

The New York Times reported yesterday, "For years, circuit judges here have ordered state officials to obey Florida law and promptly transfer severely mentally ill inmates from jails to state hospitals. But with few hospital beds available, Gov. Jeb Bush's administration began flouting those court orders in August". Now, in a growing standoff between the government of Florida and its judges, the state is being threatened with steep daily fines if it does not comply. And at least one judge has raised the possibility that the secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families could go to jail for Read More...

Study Says 3 Hours of Exercise a Week Can Bolster Memory, Intellect

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that "According to a new study, the brain's long, slow decline may not be inevitable. For the first time, scientists have found something that not only halts the brain shrinkage that starts in a person's 40s, especially in regions responsible for memory and higher cognition, but actually reverses it: aerobic exercise. As little as three hours a week of brisk walking -- no Stairmaster required -- apparently increases blood flow to the brain and triggers biochemical changes that increase production of new brain neurons." While not directly related to schizophrenia, in a discussion we Read More...

Decrease in Attention and Processing Speed May Help Recognize Those At-Risk For Psychosis

Perhaps performance on tests of neurocognition - specifically, measures of vigilance (attention) and processing speed - should be added to the arsenal identifying "at-risk" individuals with a likelihood of developing a psychotic disorder within a year. At-risk subjects who progressed to psychosis scored significantly lower in vigilance and processing speed than those at-risk who did not progress to psychosis. The scores of those at-risk who did not progress to psychosis were not significantly different from controls. Poor performance on these tests of neurocognition may prove to be an early risk-predictor for subsequent development of psychotic disorders in at-risk individuals. These Read More...

Influenza Drug Tamiflu Linked to 'Neuropsychiatric Events' in Children

Roche, the manufacturer of the influenza ("flu") treatment medication, Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate), is warning of some rare but troubling possible side-effects when used in pediatric patients. Neuropsychiatric events such as impaired consciousness, abnormal behaviors, delirium, hallucinations, self-injury and delusions have been noted as adverse events in children being treated with Tamiflu, mostly in Japan, where hallucinations and other psychological and neurological symptoms in children have already been listed as adverse events on product labeling. Tamiflu prescriptions in Japan exceed those in the United States by about a factor of 10. These effects have been seen mostly in pediatric patients. The Read More...

Remission in Early Psychosis: A Study

Data from 462 patients with first-episode psychosis who participated in a multinational, randomized, double-blinded trial of risperidone and haloperidol over 2 to 4 years were studied to glean more information about rates of remission and predictors of remission. The study used remission criteria, as defined by "The Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group", consisting of a reduction to mild levels on key symptoms for at least 6 months. Remission criteria for the required 6 months were met by 23.6% of the 462 patients (109). Researchers found that the two strongest predictors of remission were:Shorter duration of untreated psychosisTreatment response at 6 Read More...

Brand Name Invega Chosen for Schizophrenia Drug, Paliperidone

Janssen, L.P., a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), announced that it has selected INVEGA™ as the brand name for its investigational oral atypical antipsychotic, paliperidone extended release tablets. Once-daily Invega is being touted by the company as a follow-up drug to its other antipsychotic, Risperdal. J&J's patent on Risperdal expires in December 2007. The company is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market INVEGA™ for the treatment of schizophrenia. J&J Press Release: Janssen, L.P., Selects INVEGA™ (Paliperidone) Extended Release Tablets as Brand Name for Its Investigational Atypical Antipsychotic Additional Reading: Paliperidone - Read More...

Protein Biomarkers for Schizophrenia Studied in Cerebrospinal Fluid

Researchers at Cambridge University published a study in the Open-Access Journal PLoS Medicine comparing the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of drug-naive patients with first-onset paranoid schizophrenia with the CSF of healthy controls. They found significant changes in the levels of two proteins, an amino acid called VGF and a protein called transthyretin. VGF, a neurosecretory protein that is selectively expressed in neurons in brain, particularly in the hypothalamus, was found at higher levels in the CSF of patients with schizophrenia than in healthy controls and the transthyretin (a thyroid hormone–binding protein) levels lower. The sensitivity (the probability that a symptom is Read More...

Social Exclusion Harms Decision Making and Learning Ability

The University of Georgia reported on new research published this week that indicates social exclusion changes brain function and can lead to poor decision-making and reduced learning abilities - factors that are common in schizophrenia. Independently, researchers have also reported that social isolation has been identified as a factor linked to increased risk of developing schizophrenia. (more on social isolation and schizophrenia). We hope to see more research in this important area in the future. In the University of Georgia press/marketing release, it was stated: Poor Bridget Jones. At the beginning of the first film about her diary and life, Read More...

CYP2D6 Gene May Contribute to Persistent Negative Symptoms

The polymorphic cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) gene creates enzymes which affect the metabolism of some antidepressants, antipsychotics, beta-blockers, and chemotherapy medications. Although variations in this gene have been implicated in exacerbating extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) in patients on long-term treatment with antipsychotic medications, the evidence to date has been inconclusive. While further studying the gene's possible impact on EPS, scientists in Slovenia evaluated a small group of outpatients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, stable, and on long-term maintenance therapy. Although they did not find an impact of the CYP2D6 gene on EPS, they did find a possible correlation Read More...

Chemical Exposure Linked to Worldwide Rise in Childhood Brain Disorders

Although a few common regulated industrial chemicals are recognized as being able to adversely affect fetal and childhood brain development, doctors Grandjean MD and Landrigan MD write in 'Developmental Neurotoxicity of Industrial Chemicals' published in The Lancet, that another 200 industrial chemicals known to cause neurotoxic effects in adults are not being regulated. The researchers claim that chemicals that seep into our environment may be causing a "silent pandemic" of brain diseases, impairing brain development, lowering IQs and costing billions of dollars in lost productivity. They assert that further industry regulations are needed to protect children and pregnant women, because Read More...

Background Environmental Noise During Pregnancy and Early Childhood May Impact Brain Development Negatively

Last week we had a meeting with schizophrenia researcher Sophia Vinogradov and her team at the UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) and one discussion (of many) that we found interesting was around ongoing research in Michael Merzenich's lab at UCSF that is focused on impact of background environmental noise and its impact on brain development. In the study that Dr. Merzenich has done rat pups were exposed to disorganized noise and then analysis showed that aberrant development of brain's cortex had taken place. Basically the experiment demonstrated that you can induce catastrophic development changes -- called brain plasticity changes Read More...

Gene Linked With Mental Illness Shapes Brain Region

A gene variant associated with mental illness goes hand-in-hand with enlargement of a brain region that handles negative emotions, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System have found. The region of the brain called the pulvinar is larger and contains more nerve cells in humans who carry the gene. "This might indicate that the brain regions that receive input from the pulvinar are more strongly influenced in such individuals, and the pulvinar communicates with brain regions involved in negative emotional issues," said Dr. Dwight German, professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern and senior Read More...

Addition of CBT May Help Smokers With Schizophrenia to Quit

Adding Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and "Motivational Interviewing" to nicotine replacement therapy may help people with psychotic disorders quit smoking more than nicotine replacement products alone. A "dose dependent" improvement was seen wherein the patients who received the most Motivational Interviewing/CBT sessions had the greatest reduction in smoking without any deterioration in symptoms or functioning. Source: Am J Psychiatry 2006; 163: 1934–1942 More Information on Schizophrenia and Smoking Cessation: Schizophrenia, Nicotine and Smoking - Special Report Read More...

Higher Anxiety and Stress During Pregnancy Results in Smaller Babies

Pregnant women with anxiety or depression have babies with smaller brains - suggesting development problems caused by raised levels of the hormones [alpha]-amylase, preliminary results from a long-term study demonstrated. The findings suggest the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may be affected in opposite directions by stress during pregnancy, Alison Shea, Ph.D. candidate, and her associates reported in a poster at the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology. The analysis included 60 women who were among the first of 250 pregnant women to be recruited as part of the multicenter Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability, and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) study led by Read More...

Child Abuse and Mental Illness - Nature and Nurture

While researchers tell us that there is no conclusive research yet that directly links child abuse to schizophrenia, most schizophrenia researchers we have talked to believe that it is one type of trauma / stress (among many) that is likely a contributing factor in some percentage of people who develop schizophrenia. New research now provides a unique look into what is believed to be the causal factors involved in child abuse and how nature and nurture interact to cause it, and reproduce such behaviors in multiple generations of a family. The UK's New Scientist magazine reported today that: Monkeys that Read More...

How Close to a Cure? Understanding Mental Illness (TV Show)

The following is a an online version of the TV program that aired on September 28th, 2006 - titled "How Close to a Cure? - Understanding Mental Illness" - based on discussion with schizophrenia researchers that took part in the Staglin Music Festival in Napa, California this summer. Click on the button below to watch the video: As we posted earlier - you can see the entire presentation (in the video below) on schizophrenia risk genes (recorded at the Staglin Music Festival) by Daniel Weinberger, head of schizophrenia genetics research at the NIMH: Read More...

Music Therapy May Help Reduce Schizophrenia Symptoms

A small study, published in the November 2006 (Vol 189) issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that adding music therapy to standard treatment for acutely ill inpatients with schizophrenia provided additional benefit over standard therapy alone. Britian's Royal College of Psychiatrists reported that Music therapy for psychiatric in-patients with schizophrenia can improve some of the symptoms of the disorder, a new study has found. Whereas the effects of listening to music and singing have been examined among people with long-term mental health problems, the effects of ‘co-improvisational music therapy’ among people with acute schizophrenia, have not been evaluated. Read More...