英发现精神分裂症早期警告信号
http://www.100md.com
2001年1月2日
LONDON (Reuters) - New imaging technology has shown that the brain's main sensory filter is smaller than normal in people suffering from schizophrenia, even during the earliest stages of the illness, British psychiatrists say.
Dr. Tonmoy Sharma of the Institute of Psychiatry in London said his findings could help early diagnosis as well as explaining why schizophrenics suffer from confusion.
The thalamus -- the brain's hub -- receives information via the senses which is then passed to the correct regions of the brain for processing. People with schizophrenia often have difficulties digesting that information properly.
``If you think of the brain in terms of networks, it is like making a phone call when the line is not connected properly,'' Sharma said Monday in a statement.
``If there are problems with connections, information will not be passed to the correct regions. The ability to filter and process information is vital for leading a normal life.''
Sharma used the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique on 67 people -- 38 had suffered their first psychosis, the rest were healthy volunteers.
His findings that the thalamus is smaller among those with the disorder tally with research he published two months ago, which showed schizophrenics have decreased gray matter early on in the illness.
Early detection, before patients experience psychosis, will allow doctors to start early treatment and may improve recovery chances. Sharma's research is published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Schizophrenia is the most common form of severe mental illness. Its causes are still unknown but scientists know it affects chemicals in the brain and believe there is a biological link which can predispose a person to the disease.
It affects about one percent of the population, usually begins in the late teens and early 20s and is characterized by hallucinations, delusions and hearing voices., http://www.100md.com
Dr. Tonmoy Sharma of the Institute of Psychiatry in London said his findings could help early diagnosis as well as explaining why schizophrenics suffer from confusion.
The thalamus -- the brain's hub -- receives information via the senses which is then passed to the correct regions of the brain for processing. People with schizophrenia often have difficulties digesting that information properly.
``If you think of the brain in terms of networks, it is like making a phone call when the line is not connected properly,'' Sharma said Monday in a statement.
``If there are problems with connections, information will not be passed to the correct regions. The ability to filter and process information is vital for leading a normal life.''
Sharma used the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique on 67 people -- 38 had suffered their first psychosis, the rest were healthy volunteers.
His findings that the thalamus is smaller among those with the disorder tally with research he published two months ago, which showed schizophrenics have decreased gray matter early on in the illness.
Early detection, before patients experience psychosis, will allow doctors to start early treatment and may improve recovery chances. Sharma's research is published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Schizophrenia is the most common form of severe mental illness. Its causes are still unknown but scientists know it affects chemicals in the brain and believe there is a biological link which can predispose a person to the disease.
It affects about one percent of the population, usually begins in the late teens and early 20s and is characterized by hallucinations, delusions and hearing voices., http://www.100md.com