Schizophrenia Explained

Wow, Jeff. Are you reading my mind?

I heard a report about this yesterday on NPR and made a mental note to track down the show. Thanks!

This is such a fascinating and exciting field — epigenetics, the study of what causes genes to express (or fail to express).

There is a lot of storm and fury about treating children (and adults) for brain disorders but regrettably little on the epigenetic factors that can contribute to them. The more we know, the more we can prevent lifelong problems.

Many women of child-bearing age are deficient in the “building blocks” of the neurological system, for example — potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium. We submit fetuses to sonograms without knowing what effect they have. And today, a study came out showing that C-sections have an adverse effect on neuroimmunological functions — the very thing Insel et al refer to in that article you provide. (Frighteningly, C-sections have gotten almost ubiquitous among doctors and mothers who want to control their schedules and among an increasing number of young women who are “afraid” of pain in childbirth).

Gina

Reading minds…as Scott Hutson would say, it’s another one of those “gifts” courtesy of A.D.D.!

But on a serious note, I believe we are on the cusp of some major breakthroughs in our understanding of the brain, genetics, the interaction between genes and environment and much more. In 25 years what we will know in medical science will make what we currently know seem barbaric by comparison.

Gina and Jeff,

As you see Gina, Jeff is a mind reader! Because that IS what I would say(chuckle).

Have Y’all read “THE BRAIN that changes ITSELF” by Norman Doidge,M.D.? It was a gift from my mother in law,that came with PBS’s “The Brain Fitness Program”,She purchased for herself(I think she realy did it for me).

It is very interesting and tells of findings discovered via surgical expierements on monkeys etc..(animal rights ppl probably would’nt like it)but it also talks about the conflicting opinions of scientists from the old days, and how stubborn some were to accept the facts of new findings etc…And the importance of keeping an open mind about these things.

I am persuaded to beleive, mental illness can be treated successfully(not cured yet),but we have to at least try.

Scott.

Scott and Gina,

The book can be found here: http://www.normandoidge.com

The author refers to the notion of neuroplasticity, namely, the ability of the brain to alter its structure and functionality. Of course, this makes the interplay between “nature” and “nurture” that much more intriguing.

The idea of neuroplasticity is not new. At least ten years ago I had read a book that looked at this issue in relation to children viewing television. The thinking was that, if what we do can alter the brain’s structure then, what is television doing to children’s brains? The conclusion was…it can’t be good.

This issue also underlies the growing illiteracy (aliteracy too) of Americans. When we no longer read long, complex books and instead, have become a Googlized society (and there was an article about this too…how Google is turning us into idiots…see http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google) where complex arguments and facts are reduced to factoids, how, then, will we be able to tackle complex problems like global warming?

Jeff,

You did a much better job of explaining what the book is about, than I did. Dr. Diodge does also say neuroplasticity has been discussed for a long time.

This was the 1st I have heard about it,or most anything having to with brain science. I am fairly new to these things. I only seriously began looking into neurological diseases a couple years ago. Mostly brain tumor symptoms,MRI results, etc..at 1st.

I have become very interested in the way the brain works. It blows me away..literaly. How what starts in life as voluntary physical and mental actions, can in some cases, become involuntary(via brain damage caused by a vast number of different things).

I take books,such as Dr.Diodges’ with a grain of salt,so to speak. It is frustrating to realize that no definate answers have been found on so many neuro/brain diseases, other than the obvious effects is has to the person diagnosed with them. Schizophenia being just one of many.

Thank you for any info.about these things,,and Happy Independence Day!

Scott.