Neurobiological Disturbances in Schizophrenia

One of my theories is that flavonoids may benefit schizophrenia. The rationale for this is very complex. However, if you consider the side effects of the flavonoids, you can't lose with them. Flavonoids may prevent cataracts according to the website WHFoods. They are also thought to prevent stomach ulcers, varicose veins, migraine, macular degeneration, diabetes, etc. They may fight cancer.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are antioxidant phenolics (polyphenols). A flavonid eriocitrin is in lemon. Rutin is thought to prevent capillary fragility.

Flavonoids are in cocoa, cider, fruits, and vegetables. Naringin makes lemons bitter.

Grapefruit

Unfortunately there is a flavonid in grapefruit that interacts with certain medicines including statins. You should not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while taking a statin drug. It makes the drug too strong.

Colors

Flavonids are plant pigments. They add color to fruits and vegetables. This is also true of carotenoids. Both carotenoids and flavonoids are considered good for your health. they fight chronic diseases such as cancer. A large number of studies have been showing this result.

Dopamine

Arvid Carlsson of Sweden feels that dopamine is the Rosetta stone of the brain. My view is that glucose is the Rosetta stone of the brain. the brain burns glucose for fuel. Carlsson shared a Noble prize.

Pennell

Pennell found a toxic protein in schizophrenia that was "chromogenic". Upon heating it formed a red pigment wioth an absorption spectrum consistent with a quinone derivative of a catecholamine or indole. This suggests that the unknown toxic factor was either a catecholamine or an indole.

Patients Made Worse by a MAO Inhibitor

Kakimoto used methionine and a MAO inhibitor to treat schizophrenics. The symptoms worsened.

Herkert et al gaalpha-methyl-dopa to patients in 1969. This made them worse. They found increased urinary tryptamine, a metabolite of tryptophan.

Naneishvili

This Russian scientist gave plasma from schizophrenics to dogs. This elevated the blood serotonin of the dogs. Serotonin is a metabolite of tryptophan.

Polishchuk (1967)

This brilliant Russian scientist gave oral doses of tryptophan to schizophrenics. An abnormal increase in tryptophan metabolites was seen compared to controls given the same dose. This suggests abnormal tryptophan metabolism.

Benassi

Benassi found increased metabolites in the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism in schizophrenics.

Nelson et al (1966)

This group reported increased catecholamines excreted in the urine of patients during exacerbation of schizophrenic symptoms. This appears consistent with Pennell's work.

Bergen

Bergben suspected the active toxin in schizophrenia to be DMPEA based on his experiments with rats. He used a vertical rat race to test the rats. the rats climbed ropes. The unknown toxin behaved like DMPEA, a dopamine metabolite.

Conclusions

But what does all of this have to do with flavonoids? Polyphenols inhibit the formation of DMPEA from dopamine. Flavonoids are safe polyphenols. Flavonoids may inhibit the production of DMPEA, the toxin that causes schizophrenia. The DMPEA appears to cause an error in tryptophan metabolism. Tryptophan is metabolized excessively in schizophrenia.

Another treatment might be a diet very low in tryptophan.

References

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