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Image: Psychosis Progression by Louis Wain
(Most of his life Louis lived in seclusion with 5 spinster sisters and 17 cats.)
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 1, 2010Â
Researchers are hopeful that emerging research linking psychosis to an abnormal relationship between two signaling chemicals in the brain may lead to a new approach to preventing psychotic symptoms.
The finding could lead to better drugs for schizophrenia, one of the most common severe mental health conditions.
Sufferers experience symptoms of psychosis — an inability to distinguish between reality and imagination — such as hallucinations and delusions. The condition tends to begin in the late teens or 20s, and usually persists for the rest of the sufferer’s life.
Brain chemicals called neurotransmitters carry signals from one nerve cell to another. Research has linked schizophrenia with abnormally high levels of a neurotransmitter called dopamine in a region of the brain called the striatum.
Drugs currently used to treat schizophrenia block the effects of dopamine in the brain. These drugs are not effective for all patients, and can have serious side effects.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/10/01/lab-discovery-could-lead-to-new-meds-for-psychosis/19028.html
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