Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Schizophrenia News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/schizophrenia/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115912.php A 200,000 pound grant has been awarded to researchers at Queen's to help establish why people with schizophrenia are three times more likely to smoke than the general population. It is hoped the Medical Research Council award will help the scientists discover improved treatments for nicotine dependence - which can result in increased rates of illness and death from smoking-related diseases - as well as treatments for the symptoms of schizophrenia. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115198.php Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) announced positive preclinical results which demonstrated naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension (XR-NTX) was more effective in an animal model of substance abuse compared to oral naltrexone therapy. The data were presented in an oral session at the 35th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Controlled Release Society in New York City. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115052.php Biological Psychiatry is particularly proud to announce the publication of an issue dedicated to the product of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Cognitive Neuroscience Approaches to the Treatment of Impaired Cognition in Schizophrenia, or CNTRICS, initiative. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114964.php Schizophrenia is a disease that strikes an average of 4000 Belgians every year. The causes of this psychiatric disorder are not yet clear. But now, VIB researchers connected to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven have discovered that a disturbed cleavage of the Nrg-1 protein lies at the basis of the development of the disease. Greater understanding of this molecular process is a first step toward improved diagnosis and more effective treatment of schizophrenia and other related disorders. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114335.php A protein found in immune cells may be a reliable marker for schizophrenia risk, report researchers in a new proteomics study appearing in the July issue of Molecular and Cellular proteomics. Schizophrenia is a severe and complex psychiatric illness that affects about 1% of the population. Diagnosis currently relies on subjective clinical interviews and the assessment of ambiguous symptoms, which frequently leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114143.php Alterations in a molecular brain pathway activated by marijuana may contribute to the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Expression of the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R), the site of action of the main chemical ingredient of marijuana, is significantly reduced in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113701.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic versions of Risperdal (risperidone) tablets. Risperdal is an antipsychotic drug used for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113689.php NARSAD's Board of Directors announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Birkett has resigned to pursue other opportunities. During Mr. Birkett's tenure, he ran the organization with a new energy and focus. The Chief Financial Officer, Lou Innamorato, will serve as Acting President as the Board begins the search for a new President and Chief Executive Officer. NARSAD is the world's leading charity dedicated to mental health research. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113499.php Some schizophrenia patients become less prone to violence when taking medication, but those with a history of childhood conduct problems continue to pose a higher risk even with treatment, according to a new study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112440.php Results from olanzapine long-acting injection (LAI) clinical trials showed that the efficacy and safety profile of olanzapine LAI was generally consistent with that of Zyprexa(R) (olanzapine) with the exception of injection-related events. Results from a 24-week maintenance study (HGKA) and interim findings from an ongoing open-label study (HGKB) were presented at the first annual Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) Conference in Venice, Italy. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111765.php A new study just released offers a potential predictive technique to anticipate how individuals might behave during a psychotic episode. The study, in the June 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, related the brain activity of healthy participants to how they behaved after exposure to ketamine (a psychosis-inducing drug that mimics schizophrenia symptoms). Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111250.php BioLineRx Ltd. (TASE:BLRX), a clinical stage drug development company, announced the initiation of a Phase 2b clinical trial to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of BL-1020, a GABA-enhanced antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia. In this six-week, double-blind, parallel group study, patients will be randomized to one of four arms, receiving a low dose or high dose of BL-1020; risperidone, an approved atypical schizophrenia drug; or placebo. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110580.php Twice as many Americans live with schizophrenia than with HIV/AIDS, but a major report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reveals most Americans are unfamiliar with the disease. "Americans are not sure what to think about schizophrenia," said NAMI executive director Mike Fitzpatrick. "They know schizophrenia is a medical illness affecting the brain, but it is largely misunderstood. There are gaps in knowledge- and access to treatment. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109585.php New findings from research supported by NARSAD, the world's leading charity dedicated to mental health research, and conducted by Harvard-affiliated scientists are providing important clues into how genes work to impair various aspects of attention, memory and perception -- the behaviors associated with many psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109473.php People with schizophrenia from families with no history of the illness were found to harbor eight times more spontaneous mutations - most in pathways affecting brain development - than healthy controls, in a study supported in part by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). By contrast, no spontaneous mutations were found in people with schizophrenia who had family histories of the illness. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109469.php Scans of the genome of patients with schizophrenia have revealed rare spontaneous copy number mutations that account for at least 10 percent of the non-familial cases of the disease. Researchers describe specific genetic mutations present in individuals who have schizophrenia, but not present in their biological parents who do not have the disease. These individuals were eight times more likely to have these mutations than unaffected individuals. Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107901.php Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) announced that ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) received expanded indications in Bipolar I Disorder and Schizophrenia. ABILIFY is now indicated for maintenance treatment of manic and mixed episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder with or without psychotic features in pediatric patients (aged 10-17) and maintenance treatment of Schizophrenia in adolescents (aged 13-17). Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107056.php Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated a window into how abnormalities in microRNAs, a family of molecules that regulate expression of numerous genes, may contribute to the behavioral and neuronal deficits associated with schizophrenia and possibly other brain disorders. In the May 11 issue of Nature Genetics, Maria Karayiorgou, M.D., professor of psychiatry, and Joseph A. Gogos, M.D., Ph.D. Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106907.php Neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins have discovered that mice lacking an enzyme that contributes to Alzheimer disease exhibit a number of schizophrenia-like behaviors. The finding raises the possibility that this enzyme may participate in the development of schizophrenia and related psychiatric disorders and therefore may provide a new target for developing therapies. Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106843.php Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) announced that an overview of asenapine clinical trials from the Olympia program was presented at the 161st Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C., May 3-8. Data from the studies, involving patients with bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia, were presented in two oral presentations (Abstracts # 44 and # 80). Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106798.php A study of patients with psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia suggests an alternative explanation for why many sufferers lack motivation. The research is described in BioMed Central's journal BMC Psychiatry. In addition to the hallucinations that often characterize schizophrenia, patients also have major problems with apathy and lack of motivation. Thu, 08 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106642.php A new study, presented for the first time at an international psychiatric meeting, examined the time to relapse in patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) or oral quetiapine. The data show that the mean time free from relapse for patients treated with RLAI was statistically longer than those treated with quetiapine (607 days RLAI versus 533 days with quetiapine, p Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106606.php Data presented at the APA Annual Meeting on Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s (NASDAQ: VNDA) investigational drug candidate, iloperidone, included its 4-week, short-term Phase III trial, as well as a pooled analysis of three long-term, 52-week trials, studying the efficacy and safety of iloperidone. Iloperidone is a 5HT2/D2 antagonist ("atypical") antipsychotic currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of schizophrenia. Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106538.php Nearly half of patients with schizophrenia fail to remain on their medication treatment, which can result in a relapse of symptoms (1,2). Today, data from a new international study showed that patients treated with risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) had a significantly longer time to relapse (3) compared to patients treated with an oral atypical medication, quetiapine. Tue, 06 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106400.php Hear the voices of today's youth as they tell their stories in MTV's "True Life," from embarrassing parents to secret lives on the web to dealing with schizophrenia. MTV presents three brand new episodes from the award winning documentary series "True Life" starting on Thursday, May 15 at 10pm ET/PT with "