Basic Research on Schizophrenia

Dr. Mesa of Cuba has studied schizophrenia starting in 1977 and is still studying it. He has used the electron microscope. He has reported the deposits of glycoprotein granules in the amygdala of schizophrenics. He has reported degenerated neurons and glial reactions. Deposits of lipids were seen in the amygdala in paranoid schizophrenia.

Segundo Mesa-Castillo

Dr. Mesa is from the Psychiatric Hospital of Havana. He reported giant platelets with "elephant feet" and "ballooning" in schizophrenia. Glycogen granules were seen. He described this as a test for schizophrenia. The electron microscope is used. The "feet" are called filopodia. He reported vacuoles with hexagonal particles.

This work has been largely ignored except by the World Psychiatric Association. Mesa recommended a cytopathological diagnosis. He publishes in both English and Spanish. He has Powerpoint presentations.

In the brain he has found inclusion bodies.

Findings in the Brain

Mesa studied the amygdala and the auditory cortex. He found widened nuclear envelopes in neurons. Within the widened nuclear envelope he found "fibrillar material". These studies were postmortem. The electron microscope was used. Particles were found as they were in the platelets.

The meaning of these findings is not completely clear. The glycogen found in the platelets probably signifies an error in carbohydrate metabolism. This is consistent with my own theories. My theory is that the cell is burning amino acids for fuel instead of glucose. This could result in glycogen deposits due to the slowing of glucose burning.

Torrey

Torrey has favored the virus theory of schizophrenia, which I feel is false. Yet Torrey is the darling of NAMI. If this theory was true, then all the psychiatric drugs would be worthless because none are anti-viral agents. Yet Torrey and NAMI both believe in the drugs, which were designed based on biochemical theories and partly by trail & error (with far too many errors).

MRI Studies

MRI studies have shown enlarged ventricles in the brains of schizophrenics. This is true even more so in Alzheimer's disease. This reflects tissue loss. Mesa has noted reduction of the volume of the amygdala and widening of the temporal horns of the lateral ventricles.

Stevens

Prof. Janice Stevens has done PET studies on the brain to analyze glucose consumption. This was found to be abnormal in both depression and schizophrenia. The brain glucose consumption was low. This is consistent with Mesa's finding of glycogen deposits in the platelets. I support Mesa's biological test for schizophrenia.

Drug Abuse

The grim reaper likes drug abuse.

Scientology

Scientology is science fiction.

The Drug Companies

The drug companies are always developing new products.

Conclusions

Mesa suspects the temporal lobe in schizophrenia. This is consistent with the fact that psychiatric symptoms are often seen in temporal lobe epilepsy.

But what are Mesa's "particles"? Mesa thinks that they are a virus, but I suspect that they are either the residue of a toxin or the residue of psychiatric medications. If schizophrenia was caused by a virus, then it would be contagious.

The lipid deposits reported by Mesa in degenerating neurons suggest that the neurons are overeating some macronutrients. A unifying hypothesis is the amino acid theory. In this theory, favored only be me, amino acids are flooding the brain cells and the platelets. This explains the giant platelets with "elephant feet". It also explains the slow burning of glucose. The brain and the platelets are burning amino acids for fuel instead of glucose. The brain cannot burn fat.

If my theory is valid, and I believe that it is, then a diet very low in amino acids is suggested as a treatment. Mesa suggests anti-viral drugs as treatments. One of the problems with anti-viral drugs is that they can damage the cells as well as the virus. This could be a remedy worse than the disease.

References

1. Harrison PJ : The neuropathology of schizophrenia. A critical review of the data and their interpretation. Brain 1999; 122 :593-624.

2. Nelson MD, Saykin AJ, Flashman LA, Riordan HJ. Hippocampal volume reduction in schizophrenia as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. A meta-analytic study. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1998; 55:433-440.

3. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1371783/a_history_of_psychiatric_theory.html

4. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1366198/why_psychodietetics.html

5. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1360443/amino_acids_and_health.html

6. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1355565/advances_in_medical_science.html

7. Mesa CS, Niubó CE, González NL. Características histopatológicas de una reacción de aglutinación observada en pacientes psicóticos. IV Congreso Ibero-Americano de Anatomía Patológica. IV-CVHAP 2001 Comunicación-E-001; 2001.

8. Mesa CS. Schizophrenia: cytopathological diagnosis valuation scale. Carib Med J 1998; 60: 29-32.

9. http://www.wpanet.org/sectorial/edu14-3.html.

10. A transcultural study between schizophrenic and control population of Cuba and Spain. WPA Educational Section available at http://www.wpanet.org/education/docs/atranscultural.doc, Mayo, 2005.

11. Mesa CS. Estudio ultraestructural del lóbulo temporal y de la sangre periférica en pacientes esquizofrénicos. Rev Neurol 2001; 33: 619-23.

12. Torrey EF, Yolken R. Viruses, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders. Journal Microbiology Review, Jan 1995.

13. Buchanan R, Buckley PF, Tamminga CA, Schulz SCH. Schizophrenia Research: A Biennium of Progress. Proceedings from the Sixth International Congress on Schizophrenia Research, Colorado Springs, CO, April 12-16, 1997. Schizophrenia Bulletin 1998; 24: 501-18.