New Developments in Schizophrenia Research
Introduction
Unfortunately there are problems with psychiatric drugs. For one thing, they can be used to attempt suicide. This does not always work, but, unfortunately, sometimes it does.
A Unified Theory to Reconcile Available Evidence
There is a massive amount of evidence available (see references). Up until now there has been no unified theory to reconcile much of the available evidence. One piece of evidence, and an important one, is the fact that amino acid feedings have made schizophrenics worse. This strongly suggests that schizophrenia is one or more errors in amino acid metabolism.
One of the errors has been described extensively by Ridges and her Liverpool group. It is called the "pink spot".
"It was suggested that the active factor in the
schizophrenic urine might be a small heteropeptide
containing a catecholamine residue."
A. Pauline Ridges, Ph.D., M.Sc, A.R.I.C.
Senior Lecturer in
Biochemical Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry
University of Liverpool
Life Sciences Building
Crown Street
Liverpool 7, England
The "pink spot" is DMPEA, an abnormal metabolite of dopamine. According to my own theory, this toxic substance causes amino acids to flood the brain cells in schizophrenia. Dopamine is an important brain neurotransmitter.
Hoffer
"It is obvious after one has read this book and
many others which are beginning to appear that
no physician can properly practice his craft if he
is not familiar with the science of nutrition." Dr. Abram Hoffer
This quote is a reference to the Roger Williams book "Nutrition Against Disease". The book was published by Pitman Publishing Corporation of New York. At that time Hoffer was in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is now in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Hoffer's review of the Williams book was published in Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry in 1972.
Illicit Drug Use
"Among the possible problems which may arise
from drug usage are perceptual disturbances,
conceptual confusion, loss of emotional control,
psychotic episodes and drug dependence."
Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.
This quote was from the same issue of Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry, which is now called Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. The drugs he referred to included "amphetamines, heroin, LSD-type drugs, alcohol, barbiturates, hashish, marijuana" etc.
Neuropathology
In 1915 Southard reported "internal hydrocephalus" and various other findings in the cortex. Southard was a Harvard neuropathologist and psychiatrist. He studied "dementia praecox", which is now called "schizophrenia". Almost countless positive neuropathology findings have been reported in schizophrenia (see the references).
It was from neuropathology data that I was able to figure out that amino acids are flooding the brain cells in schizophrenia. Something like this is difficult to determine by biochemistry because it is hard to do biochemistry experiments on the living brains of people. One can do these on rats, but how do you get schizophrenic rats? The neuropathology studies are usually done postmortem.
Conclusions
My unified theory explains schizophrenia, but how do you treat it? My view is that nutrition should be used. A very strict diet low in amino acids is suggested. Also I favor the use of polyphenols. The justification for the use of polyphenols is that they inhibit a critical enzyme called COMT. This enzyme metabolizes dopamine and can form DMPEA, the toxin that causes the amino acids to flood the cells.
References
1. Treatment of schizophrenia in the 21st Century: beyond the neurotransmitter hypothesis.
Rogers DP, Goldsmith CA.
Expert Rev Neurother. 2009 Jan;9(1):47-54.
2. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1340193/advances_in_affective_disorder_research.html
3. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1337255/fighting_diseases_with_nutrition.html
4. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1333742/neurobiological_disturbances_in_schizophrenia.html
5. FREUD, S.: An Outline of Psychoanalysis. 1938 Edn.
Trans. J. Strachey Publ. Hogarth 1949.
6. BOURDILLON, R. E. and RIDGES, A. P.: The Pink Spot.
Lancet 1:429, 1966.
7. RIDGES, A. P., BOURDILLON, R. E., LESLIE, S. A. and
HARPER, P.: 'Pink Spot' and schizophrenia. Psychiat.
Clin. 1:44, 1968.
8. RIDGES, A. P. and HARPER, P.: Pink Spot-Is it a drug
artefact? Psychiat. Clin. 3:101, 1970.
9. RIDGES, A. P.: Pink Spot, 3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamine,
common tea and schizophrenia.
Amer. J. Psychiat. 128:122, 1971.
10. RIDGES, A. P. and HARPER, P.: Urinary chromatographic
abnormalities in schizophrenia and
Parkinson's disease with special reference to their
relationship to drug treatment. In: Progress in
Neurogenetics 1. Excerpta Med. Int. Congr. Ser. 175,
p. 442, 1969.
11. BOURDILLON, R. E. and RIDGES, A. P.: Catecholamines
and Schizophrenia. In: Biochemistry,
Schizophrenia and Affective Illnesses. H. E. Himwich
(Ed.). Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, p. 123, 1970.
12. FISCHER, E. and SPATZ, H.: Quantitativer Nachweis einer
vermehrten Bufoteninausschei-dung im Urin
Schizophrener. Arch. Fur Psychiatric und Zeitschrift. f.d.
ges. Neurologie 211:241, 1968.
13. BRUNE, G. G. and HIMWICH, H. E.: Biogenic Amines and
Behavior in Schizophrenic Patients. In: Recent Advances
in Biological Psychiatry. J. Wortis (Ed.), Plenum Press,
New York, Vol. 5, p. 144, 1962.
14. POLLIN, W, CARDON, P. V. and KETY, S. S.: Effects of
amino acid feeding in schizophrenic patients treated with
iproniazid. Science 133: 104, 1961.
15. KETY, S. S.: Dietary Factors and Schizophrenia. In:
Chemical Influences on Behavior. R. Porter and J. Birch
(Eds.): Ciba Foundation Study Group. 35:76. Churchill,
London 1970.
16. Corsellis JAN. Psychoses of obscure pathology. In: Blackwood W, Corsellis JAN, editors. Greenfield's neuropathology. 3rd ed. London: Edward Arnold; 1976. p. 903-15.
17. David GB. The pathological anatomy of the schizophrenias. In: Richter D, editor. Schizophrenia: somatic aspects. London: Pergamon Press; 1957. p. 93-130.
18. Jellinger K. Neuromorphological background of pathochemical studies in major psychoses. In: Beckmann H, Riederer P, editors. Pathochemical markers in major psychoses. Berlin: Springer; 1985. p. 1-23.
19. Nieto D, Escobar A. Major psychoses. In: Minckler J, editor. Pathology of the nervous system. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1972. p. 2655-65.
20. Tatetsu S. A contribution to the morphological background of schizophrenia: with special reference to the findings in the telencephalon. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 1964; 3: 558-71.
21. Stevens JR. Anatomy of schizophrenia revisited. [Review]. Schizophr Bull 1997; 23: 373-83.
22. Stevens JR. Neuropathology of schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1982; 39: 1131-9.
23. Southard EE. On the topographical distribution of cortex lesions and anomalies in dementia praecox, with some account of their functional significance. Am J Insan 1915; 71: 603-71.
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
- Amino Acids and Their SourcesProteins are made up of amino acids. There are in all 23 amino acids in food proteins. Different proteins contain different proportions of the various amino acids.
- What Are the Amino Acids in Tea?Amino acids in tea are essential for the functions of the body. If you don't know about amino acids, you probably have heard about proteins.
- Protein, Amino Acids and Brain AllergiesThere are brain diseases in which the brain is allergic to particular amino acids. My view is that these are not rare, but rather are rarely understood. PKU is rare.
Amino Acids: Facts You Wanted to KnowAmino acids are responsible in building blood, hair, internal organs, muscles, nails and skin. They are essential for the synthesis of hormones, antibodies, enzymes and tissues...- Amino Acids and the BrainThe brain is made up largely of amino acids, fat, and water. It should not be surprising that problems with amino acids affect the brain. Such problems can be disastrous to the brain, but they are treatable by diet.
- Justifications for the Amino Acid Theory of Schizophrenia
- Too Many Amino Acids Flood the Brain in Schizophrenia
- Amino Acids Can Help Depression and Anxiety
- Athletes and Amino Acid Supplements
- Amino Acids Protein Substitute
- Review of Amino Genesis Skin Products
- How Amino Acids Can Ease Stress, Anxiety and Depression