A Review of Microscopy Studies of Mental Diseases
"Reserpine has been used clinically to control hypertension, schizophrenia, insomnia and insanity. The use of this drug, however, has been limited because of its side effects which include oxidative damage to organs, including the liver." Al-Bloushi S et al (Kuwait) 2009
This quote is from Ref. 4. They recommend green tea to fight the drug toxicity. This shows just how dangerous psychiatric drugs are. Another example of this danger is given in Ref. 5. But is there a better way? I believe that there is. Orthomolecular treatment is cheaper, safer, and more logical. The government could save massive amounts of money on health care costs if it recognized orthomolecular medicine, but it doesn't.
Zyprexa, also called olanzapine, was the object of lawsuits. It seems that this drug can cause diabetes, weight gain, increased cholesterol, etc. See Ref. 16.
Electron Microscopy Studies
For some reason, not known to me, more of these studies have been done in Russia and Japan than in the US. Research in the US is often sponsored by drug companies, and therefore is largely on drugs. Basic research suffers because of this.
Bonartsev of Russia has studied the lymphocytes in schizophrenia. Ref. 6 is one of his many brilliant papers on this subject. The lymphocytes in schizophrenia are activated. This means that they are actively making protein from amino acids. Also they are "wide cytoplasmic", meaning that they have large cytoplasms. This suggests that the cells may be overeating some macronutrients. The fact that they are actively making protein suggests that the macronutrients are amino acids.
Bonartsev's work was a factor in my formulating the theory of schizophrenia. Biochemical work by the Detroit workers Frohman, Gottlieb, and Beckett also factored into my theory. The biochemical work, although brilliant, will not be discussed here because this article is mainly about microscopic findings.
Harrison
Dr. Harrison is a brilliant neuropathologist from Oxford, but I do not always agree with his views. A 1999 review by him is available free full text at the journal website. Ref. 18, 19, and 20 are by him, but Ref. 19 is available from the Brain website.
He rejects a century's worth of findings of gliosis, which is a mistake. Gliosis is pathology of the glia. It is seen in toxic diseases including those caused by a virus.
Some interesting work has been done since the 1999 review, and much of this work has been done in Russia. However, most of the work was done before 1999, so the Harrison review is very useful. Gliosis is seen in neurodegenerative diseases, not in neurodevelopmental diseases. It fits with my view that schizophrenia is a neurodegenerative disease and therefore in the same class as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea, etc. This view goes back to the brilliant German psychiatrist Dr. Emil Kraepelin.
Averback (1981)
Two brilliant articles were published on this subject by Averback in 1981, but one of them is available free full text on the Internet. Many of my own articles are available also free full text at Associated Content. Averback's article (Ref. 21) is at the Archives of Neurology website. These journal websites are very useful. Some articles which aren't available for free can be purchased from the journal website.
Averback found massive bloating & death of neurons in the nucleus ansae peduncularis in schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's chorea. Huntington's chorea may be the first disease named after an American doctor. Cushing's disease, described later, is named after a brilliant American neurosurgeon.
Averback described fat deposits and pigment deposits. He thought the pigment was lipofuscin. Lipofuscin signifies an increase in the metabolic rate. These findings are consistent with amino acids flooding the cells. Averback also reported the Nissl substance was "barely recognizable".
Conclusions
Microscopy studies support the theory of amino acids flooding the brain cells in neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's chorea. The destruction of the Nissl bodies strongly supports this theory. The Nissl bodies, named after a brilliant German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, take amino acids and convert them to protein. A flooding of the Nissl bodies with amino acids could destroy them.
This theory suggests a diet very low in protein as a treatment for neuropsychiatric diseases. Protein is high in animal products. This suggests the vegan diet as a start. Some vegetables have substantial protein, including soybeans. These vegetables should be avoided.
More information on these matters is given in the references and in my photo albums at Gather. Also my previous articles on Associated Content give more details on the amino acid contents of various foods.
References
1. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1568350/advances_in_biochemical_psychiatry.html
2. "Increased lactate levels and reduced pH in postmortem brains of schizophrenics: Medication confounds.(Author abstract)(Report). ." Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 169.1 (March 30, 2008): 208(6). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. Needham Free Public Library. 4 Feb. 2009
http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=HRCA&docId=A175665469&source=gale&userGroupName=nee&version=1.0.
3. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1557123/proof_that_schizophrenia_is_organic.html 4.
Green tea modulates reserpine toxicity in animal models.
Al-Bloushi S, Safer AM, Afzal M, Mousa SA.
J Toxicol Sci. 2009 Feb;34(1):77-87.5.
Razeghinejad MR, Nowroozzadeh MH, Zamani M, Amini N.
Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. 2008 Aug;36(6):560-3.
Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2008;108(9):62-8. Russian.
Kolomeets NS, Uranova NA.
Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2008;108(8):52-60. Russian.
Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2008;108(4):70-6. Russian.
9.Mitochondrial involvement in psychiatric disorders.
Shao L, Martin MV, Watson SJ, Schatzberg A, Akil H, Myers RM, Jones EG, Bunney WE, Vawter MP.
Ann Med. 2008;40(4):281-95. Review.
10.[Decreased numerical density of pericapillary oligodendrocytes in the cortex in schizophrenia]
Vostrikov VM.
Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2007;107(12):58-65. Russian.
11. Nilsson-Todd, Linda K., Conny Nordin, Erik G. Jonsson, Elisabeth Skogh, and Sophie Erhardt. "Cerebrospinal fluid kynurenic acid in male patients with schizophrenia - correlation with monoamine metabolites.(Author abstract). ." Acta Neuropsychiatrica. 19.1 (Feb 2007): 45(8). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. Needham Free Public Library. 4 Feb. 2009
http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=HRCA&docId=A160510216&source=gale&userGroupName=nee&version=1.0.
Toshida H, Uesugi Y, Ebihara N, Murakami A.
Cornea. 2007 Oct;26(9):1141-3.
13.Deficit of pericapillary oligodendrocytes in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia.
Vostrikov V, Orlovskaya D, Uranova N.
World J Biol Psychiatry. 2008;9(1):34-42.
14.The ultrastructure of lymphocytes in schizophrenia.
Uranova N, Bonartsev P, Brusov O, Morozova M, Rachmanova V, Orlovskaya D.
World J Biol Psychiatry. 2007;8(1):30-7.
15.The role of oligodendrocyte pathology in schizophrenia.
Uranova NA, Vostrikov VM, Vikhreva OV, Zimina IS, Kolomeets NS, Orlovskaya DD.
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2007 Aug;10(4):537-45. Epub 2007 Feb 21.
16. "Lilly settles 18,000 suits over psychiatric drug." Xinhua News Agency (Jan 5, 2007): NA. Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. Newton Free Library. 25 Mar. 2009
http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=HRCA.
17. Does schizophrenia result from developmental or degenerative processes?
Church SM, Cotter D, Bramon E, Murray RM.
J Neural Transm Suppl. 2002;(63):129-47. Review.
18.The neuropathological effects of antipsychotic drugs.
Harrison PJ.
Schizophr Res. 1999 Nov 30;40(2):87-99. Review.
19.The neuropathology of schizophrenia. A critical review of the data and their interpretation.
Harrison PJ.
Brain. 1999 Apr;122 ( Pt 4):593-624. Review.
20.Brains at risk of schizophrenia.
Harrison PJ.
Lancet. 1999 Jan 2;353(9146):3-4.
21. Averback P. Lesions of the nucleus ansae peduncularis in neuropsychiatric disease. Arch Neurol 1981; 38: 230-5.
Published by Craig Olson
I have worked at many different jobs including as a scientist, a mental health worker, a physical health worker, etc. I am an advocate for better health care and an advocate for the disabled. View profile
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