Psychiatry: The Retarded Child of Medicine?

"The numbers of platelet dense granules and platelet cell size in schizophrenic patients increase compared to age-matched healthy controls." Kessler et al (Ref. 1)

The finding of increased cell size in platelets in schizophrenia is consistent with Cuban work by Mesa. Mesa reported intranuclear bodies, membrane alterations, etc. in the brain. He reported the deposit of glycoprotein granules around the vessels in the amygdala. He has PowerPoint presentations on the Internet on these subjects.

Brain Changes

Degenerative changes were seen in the neurons. Microglial reactions were seen around the degenerated neurons. Lipid deposits were seen in the degenerated neurons in the amygdala. To me this suggests a metabolic error, although Mesa did not conclude this. Intranuclear filamentous inclusion bodies were seen. Mesa thought that these were a virus, although viruses are not filamentous.

Mesa studied the amygdaline nucleus, hippocampus and auditory cortex.

He also demonstrated an unknown toxic factor in the cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenics using chicken embryos as an assay.

Mesa feels that schizophrenia is in the temporal lobe. In particular, the limbic system is housed under the temporal lobe. The limbic system is comprised of subcortical structures. He found pathology in the limbic system, which has long been suspected in schizophrenia by Heath and others. Torrey has long suspected the limbic system.

Platelet Changes

In the platelets Mesa found morphological alterations, glycogen increase, particles, membrane alterations, and vacuoles. Giant platelets were seen with "elephant feet". Amazingly this work has been almost completely ignored in the US except by Torrey and myself. Mesa claims to have discovered a biological test for schizophrenia. The enlarged platelets were confirmed in Ref. 1.

Interpretation

My interpretation of Mesa's results is quite different from Mesa's own interpretation. I see the glycogen increase as an indication of a partial failure of glucose metabolism, which is vital to the brain. I see the giant platelets as an indication that some macronutrietns are flooding the cells. The fat deposits he saw in degenerating neurons is consistent with this.

My theory is that amino acids are flooding the cells. This explains most of the data. The unknown toxic factor causes this to happen.

Torrey

I have devoted a lot of space to Torrey in my articles because he has written many books. Some of his books have some merit. He considers himself an advocate for the patients. However, his virus theory is wrong. He thinks that schizophrenics catch a virus from cats. This fails to take into consideration the known connection with stress. Stress worsens schizophrenia and other mental diseases. Hoffer has taken this into consideration in his theory.

If Torrey was correct, then schizophrenia would be contagious, but it isn't. Neither Torrey nor Mesa has ever caught it from their patients. Amazingly Torrey is considered a prophet by NAMI. One of Torrey's iconoclastic books was "The Death of Psychiatry". He predicted the death of psychiatry, but this prediction did not come true. This is an old book.

Torrey, himself a psychiatrist, has blasted other psychiatrists. He called Freud a "fraud". He described psychiatric theories as "crap". He said that psychiatrists are like witch doctors and "shamans". Although there is some truth in some of this, I feel that it is too pessimistic. I feel that some psychiatric theories are valid, although some are false.

Conclusions

My view is that Pauling's theories, although he was not a psychiatrist, were close to the truth. Pauling felt that schizophrenia was genetic. He felt that it was a genetic disease localized to the brain. This is why chemical tests have been difficult. My view is that it may be even localized to only certain parts of the brain, making it even more difficult to analyze.

However, Borg of Sweden found abnormal muscle biopsies showing fat deposits and glycogen deposits. Thus the disease may be throughout the body but worse in the brain. The glycogen deposits reported by Borg in the muscles are consistent with the glycogen deposits reported in the platelets by Mesa. The fat deposits reported by Borg (of the famous Karolinska Institute in Stockholm that awards the Nobel prizes in medicine) are consistent with the fat deposits found in neurons by Mesa.

My suggestions for treatments are in the Associated Content references.

References

1. Kessler A, Shinitzky M, Kessler B. Number of platelet dense granules varies with age, schizophrenia and dementia. Dementia 1995; 6: 330-333.

2. Mesa Castillo, S. Esquizofrenia. Estudio ultraestructural del sistema límbico. Hallazgos en el núcleo amigdalino Rev HospPsiq Habana, 1978:19, 197-225.

3. Mesa, CS. Electron Microscope Studies of Brain Tissue in Psychosis, Proceedings of the IV World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, Sept. 8-13, 1985 Published in Biological Psychiatry supplement 1986.

4. S. Mesa-Castillo: AN ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDY OF THE TEMPORAL LOBE AND PERIPHERAL BOOD IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS

REV NEUROL 2001; 33: 619-23.

5. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1395958/relationship_between_bipolar_disorder.html

6. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1393575/the_healthiest_foods.html

7. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1390538/the_various_mental_disorders.html

8. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1377135/dopamine_amino_acids_and_schizophrenia.html

9. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1384841/new_developments_in_schizophrenia_research.html