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Biomedical subjects

E Fuller Torrey

Publications and source records attributed to E Fuller Torrey.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Toxoplasma gondii and schizophrenia.

Recent epidemiologic studies indicate that infectious agents may contribute to some cases of schizophrenia. In animals, infections with Toxoplasma gondii can alter behavior and neurotransmitter function. In humans, acute infection with T. gondii can produce psychotic symptoms similar to those displayed by persons with schizophrenia. Since 1953, a total of 19 studies of T. gondii antibodies in persons with schizophrenia and other severe psychiatric disorders and in controls have been reported; 18 reported a higher percentage of antibodies in the affected persons; in 11 studies the difference was statistically significant. Two other studies found that exposure to cats in childhood was a risk factor for the development of schizophrenia. Some medications used to treat schizophrenia inhibit the replication of T. gondii in cell culture. Establishing the role of T. gondii in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia might lead to new medications for its prevention and treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Studies of individuals with schizophrenia never treated with antipsychotic medications: a review.

A review of 65 studies of individuals with schizophrenia who had never been treated with antipsychotic medications indicates significant abnormalities in brain structure and function. Neurological and neuropsychological measures show the most consistent and largest group differences between those affected and normal controls. Measures of structural differences and cerebral metabolic function are significant but less impressive. Electrophysiological differences also are found, but most such studies are older and have methodological problems. The brain abnormalities implicate a variety of interrelated brain regions, primarily the medial temporal, prefrontal, thalamic, and basal ganglia areas. It is concluded that schizophrenia is a brain disease in the same sense that Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis are, and that the brain abnormalities in schizophrenia are inherent in the disease process and not medication-related. The challenge for the future is to use the new molecular techniques to study these brain areas and elevate our understanding of schizophrenia's etiology to the next level.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed2002

Thalamic and caudate volumes in monozygotic twins discordantfor schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The thalamus and caudate nucleus are key subcortical structures in the fronto-striato-thalamic pathways that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Previous studies have been inconsistent in identifying structural and functional abnormalities in these structures. However, methodologies in these studies have been unreliable and some have not adequately matched patients and controls. METHODS: Using algebraically-manipulated double-echomagnetic resonance (MR) images, we developed a reliable method to estimate caudate and thalamic volumes in a group of 13 monozygotic(MZ) twins; eight discordant for schizophrenia and five normal.Initially, volumes were measured on four image types: proton density(PD), T2-weighted, summed (PD + T2) and subtracted (PD-T2) to determine the most reliable method. RESULTS: There was a significant method by region interaction, where caudate volumes measured on PD images were significantly larger than those measured on T2-weighted images, while the opposite was found for thalamic volumes. However, there was no interaction of method by diagnosis. Test-retest reliability was highest for the summed images. Using summed images to measure the volumes of the caudate and thalamus in each twin, we found significantly increased caudate volumes in affected twins compared to their unaffected cotwins,but no significant difference in thalamic volume. CONCLUSIONS: Our results in a small sample of MZ twins discordant for schizophrenia do not support the presence of structural abnormalities in the thalamus. The findings in the caudate are consistent with previously reported effects of antipsychotic medication. We also report a reliable method for assessing the volumes of subcortical structures. However, volumetric estimates of brain structures may be dependent on which method is used and the structure being assessed. Such interactions need to be considered in future studies investigating brain structural abnormalities in schizophrenia and other disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Controlled trial of hydroxychloroquine in schizophrenia.

Hydroxychloroquine is widely employed for the treatment of rheumatological diseases. A preliminary pilot study suggested that hydroxychloroquine may be a useful adjunct for the treatment of schizophrenia, which has been associated with abnormalities in several proinflammatory cytokines. Sixty-one patients were randomized to receive 200 mg/ day hydroxychloroquine or placebo in addition to standard typical antipsychotic treatment. After 8 weeks of double-blind treatment, there was no significant interaction between treatment status and length of treatment for positive, negative, or general symptoms according to the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, despite a hydroxychloroquine-associated decrease in serum interferon-gamma levels. After completion of the 8-week study, all participants were offered open treatment with hydroxychloroquine for an additional 12 weeks. Open treatment produced no further improvement in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores at weeks 12, 16, and 20. Further study will be required to determine the role of anti-inflammatory treatments for schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Molecular characterization of a 2.7-kb, 12q13-specific, retroviral-related sequence isolated by RDA from monozygotic twin pairs discordant for schizophrenia.

This report deals with the molecular characterization of a representational difference analysis (RDA)-derived sequence (SZRV-2, GenBank accession No. AF135486; Genome Database accession Nos. 7692183 and 7501402) from three monozygotic twin pairs discordant for schizophrenia (MZD). The results suggest that it is a primate-specific, heavily methylated, and placentally expressed (-7-kb mRNA) endogenous retroviral-related (ERV) sequence of the human genome. We have mapped this sequence to 12q13 using two SZRV-2 positive BAC clones (4K11 (Genome Survey Sequence Database No. 1752076; GenBank accession No. AZ301773) and 501H16) by fluorescence in situ hybridization. End sequencing of the 4K11 BAC clone has allowed identification of nearby genes from the human genome database at NCBI that may be of interest in schizophrenia research. These include viral-related sequences (potential hot spots for insertions), developmental, channel, and signal transduction genes, as well as genes affecting expression of certain receptors in neurons. Furthermore, when used as a probe on Southern blots, SZRV-2 detected no difference between schizophrenia patients from southwestern Ontario and their matched controls. However, it identified aberrant methylation in one of the eight patients and none of the 21 unaffected controls. Although additional experiments will be required to establish the significance, if any, of SZRV-2 methylation in the complex etiology of schizophrenia, molecular results included offer a novel insight into the role of retroviral-related sequences in the origin, organization, and regulation of the human genome.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2000

The antecedents of psychoses: a case-control study of selected risk factors.

Winter birth, urban birth and/or childhood residence, and perinatal complications have each been identified as environmental risk factors for the later development of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. A preliminary case-control study also identified cat exposure in childhood as a possible risk factor. To assess selected environmental events, including childhood exposure to pets, as possible risk factors for these diseases, a case-control telephone survey was carried out by the University of Maryland Survey Research Center for 264 mothers of cases and 528 mothers of matched controls. The cases were randomly selected mothers who were members of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and whose children had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder. The controls were mothers randomly selected from the same telephone exchanges. For five of the 19 major variables, there were statistically significant differences between cases and controls: fever during pregnancy, complications during delivery, city or suburban residence at birth, cat ownership between birth and age 13, and breast-feeding. In a multivariate logistic regression including these five variables, each variable made a significant contribution. The finding of perinatal complications, urban/suburban residence at birth, and cat ownership in childhood as risk factors for the later development of psychoses confirmed previous studies. Previous research on breast-feeding as a risk factor has yielded contradictory results. Additional research is needed to ascertain how such environmental risk factors interact with genetic risk factors. Understanding these could lead to better treatments and possible prevention strategies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Familial and genetic mechanisms in schizophrenia.

A distinction should be made between genetic aspects of schizophrenia and familial aspects. Genetic aspects of the disease have been reviewed and found to be deficient in many respects. Until recent years, familial factors were assumed to be psychological in origin, but this assumption is now discredited. Research efforts should focus on familial factors that are biological, especially infectious agents that may be transmitted within the family. Most infectious agents are influenced by predisposing genes. The etiology of schizophrenia, then, may turn out to involve biological familial infectious agents that are influenced by susceptibility genes governing the infectious process and the clinical expression of the disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

The Serbsky treatment.

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Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders↗