Schizophrenia & Psychotic Disorders

Flu during pregnancy may raise baby's schizophrenia risk

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Washington, Mar 12 (ANI): Influenza A infection during pregnancy can affect brains of babies, says a study on rhesus monkeys.

Published online by the journal Biological Psychiatry, the study found that rhesus monkey babies born to mothers who had the flu while pregnant had smaller brains and showed other brain changes similar to those observed in human patients with schizophrenia.

The study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the first study done with monkeys that examines the effects of flu during pregnancy.

Lead author Sarah J. Short, Ph.D. worked on the study while earning her doctorate at Wisconsin and now is a post-doctoral fellow at UNC working with John H. Gilmore, M.D., professor of psychiatry in the UNC School of Medicine.

"This was a relatively mild flu infection, but it had a significant effect on the brains of the babies," Short said....

Link between brain chemical, cognitive decline in schizophrenia demonstrated

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

Washington, Mar 11 (ANI): UC Davis researchers have demonstrated a link between brain chemical, cognitive decline in schizophrenia.

In one of the first such studies involving human patients with schizophrenia, researchers provided evidence that deficits in a brain chemical may be responsible for some of the debilitating cognitive deficits - poor attention, memory and problem-solving abilities - that accompany the delusions and hallucinations that are the hallmarks of the disorder.

Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the study suggests an important avenue of inquiry for improving cognitive function in people who suffer from schizophrenia, according to Jong H. Yoon, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UC Davis Health System and the study's lead author.

"We still know very little about the neurobiology of schizophrenia, particularly at the level of specific circuits and molecules and how their impairments affect behavior and cognition in the disease," said Yoon, a researcher at...

Research and Markets: OUT NOW: Target Product Profiles 2009: Physician Insights on Key ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:21:00 +0000

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/61226a/target_product_pro ) has announced the addition of Decision Resources, Inc.'s new report "Target Product Profiles 2009: Physician Insights on Key Attributes: Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia" to their offering.

Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: A therapy that is formally approved for the treatment of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia

Using Target Product Profiles in Your Market Strategy

Our Target Product Profiles qualitatively predict the market potential of a drug fulfilling...

Long-time cannabis use associated with psychosis

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Young adults who have used cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals (see also JAMA and Archives Journals ).

Previous studies have identified an association between cannabis use and psychosis, according to background information in the article. However, concerns remain that this research has not adequately accounted for confounding variables.

John McGrath, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., of the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Australia, and colleagues studied 3,801 young adults born between 1981 and 1984. At a 21-year follow-up, when participants were an average age of 20.1, they were asked about cannabis use in recent years and assessed using several measures of psychotic outcomes (including a diagnostic interview, an inventory of delusions and...

Researchers at Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research target schizophrenia

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Scientists discuss in 'Amplitude of low-frequency oscillations in schizophrenia: a resting state fMRI study' new findings in schizophrenia. According to a study from the United States, "Recently, a great deal of interest has arisen in resting state fMRI as a measure of tonic brain function in clinical populations. Most studies have focused on the examination of temporal correlation between resting state fMRI low-frequency oscillations (LFOs)."

"Studies on the amplitudes of these low-frequency oscillations are rarely reported. Here, we used amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF; the relative amplitude that resides in the low frequencies) to examine the amplitude of LFO in schizophrenia. Twenty-six healthy controls and 29 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated. Our findings show that patients showed reduced low-frequency amplitude in proportion to the total frequency band investigated (i.e., fALFF) in the lingual gyrus, left cuneus, left insula/superior temporal gyrus, and right caudate and...

Researchers at University of Alberta have published new data on schizophrenia risk factors

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Researchers detail in 'Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and disease in people with schizophrenia: a population-based study,' new data in schizophrenia. "To evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CV-RF) and disease (CV-D) in people with schizophrenia. We conducted a period-prevalence study using a population-based cohort from Alberta administrative databases," scientists writing in the journal Schizophrenia Research report (see also Schizophrenia Risk Factors ).

"Schizophrenia was identified using billing codes; all other individuals served as non-schizophrenic controls. Modifiable CV-RF (hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes) and established CV-D (acute coronary syndrome (ACS), chronic ischemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure (HF), stroke, arrhythmia) were identified using previously validated methods. Analyses were conducted using multivariable logistic regression. From 1995 to 2006, 28,755 people (1.2%) were identified with schizophrenia and compared with 2,281,636 non-schizophrenic controls. Individuals with schizophrenia were older (mean age 47.6 years vs. 45.3) and had lower socioeconomic status (59% received healthcare subsidies vs. 21%; OR:...

Researchers from Chiba University provide details of new studies and findings in the area of ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

A report, 'Effects of aripiprazole on MK-801-induced prepulse inhibition deficits and mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction pathway,' is newly published data in Neuroscience Letters. "Based on NMDA hypofunction hypothesis for negative symptoms and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, MK-801-induced animal models of schizophrenia may help us understand the different effects between typical and atypical antipsychotics. On the other hand, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways may participate in antipsychotic actions," scientists in Chiba, Japan report (see also Schizophrenia Therapy ).

"The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aripiprazole on MK-801-induced prepulse inhibition (PPI) disruption and MAPK phosphorylation in mice. To clarify the effects of aripiprazole on MK-801-induced PPI disruption, we measured PPI of 51 ddY male mice after aripiprazole was administered 15 min prior to the injection of MK-801, and measured activation of cytosol and nuclear MAPK phosphorylation by western blotting. Aripiprazole (4.0 mg/kg) significantly reversed the...

Researchers from McLean Hospital detail new studies and findings in the area of schizophrenia ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Investigators publish new data in the report 'A unifying hypothesis of schizophrenia: abnormal immune system development may help explain roles of prenatal hazards, post-pubertal onset, stress, genes, climate, infections, and brain dysfunction.' "We propose a unifying hypothesis of schizophrenia to help reconcile findings from many different disciplines. This hypothesis proposes that schizophrenia often involves pre-or perinatal exposure to adverse factors that produce a latent immune vulnerability," researchers in the United States report (see also Schizophrenia Immunology ).

"When this vulnerability is manifested, beginning around puberty with changes in immune function and involution of the thymus, individuals become more susceptible to infections and immune dysfunctions that contribute to schizophrenia. Our hypothesis suggests theoretical bridges between different lines of evidence on schizophrenia and offers explanations for many puzzling findings about schizophrenia. For example, the hypothesis helps account for why schizophrenia patients tend to have had increased exposure to neurotropic infections, but most individuals...

Scientists at University of California target schizophrenia

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Current study results from the report, 'Working memory circuitry in schizophrenia shows widespread cortical inefficiency and compensation,' have been published. "Working memory studies in schizophrenia (SZ), using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and univariate analyses, have led to observations of hypo-or hyperactivation of discrete cortical regions and subsequent interpretations (e.g. neural inefficiencies). We employed a data-driven, multivariate analysis to identify the patterns of brain-behavior relationships in SZ during working memory," scientists in the United States report (see also Schizophrenia ).

"fMRI scans were collected from 13 SZ and 18 healthy control (HC) participants performing a modified Sternberg item recognition paradigm with three memory loads. We applied partial least squares analysis (PLS) to assess brain activation during the task both alone and with behavioral measures (accuracy and response time, RT) as covariates. While the HC primary pattern was not affected by increasing load demands, SZ participants showed an exaggerated change in...

Studies from Maastricht University update current data on schizophrenia

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Current study results from the report, 'Functional magnetic resonance imaging of inner speech in schizophrenia,' have been published. "Auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia have been linked to defective monitoring of one's own verbal thoughts. Previous studies have shown that patients with auditory verbal hallucinations show attenuated activation of brain regions involved with auditory processing during the monitoring of inner speech," scientists in Netherlands report (see also Schizophrenia ).

"However, there are no functional magnetic resonance imaging studies explicitly comparing the perception of external speech with internal speech in the same patients with schizophrenia. The present study investigated the functional neuroanatomy of inner and external speech in both patients with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects. Fifteen patients with schizophrenia and 12 healthy control subjects were studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging while listening to sentences or imagining sentences. Significant interactions between group (control subjects vs. patients) and task (listening vs. inner...

Studies from National Defense Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry provide new data on ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Fresh data on schizophrenia are presented in the report 'Association of promoter variants of human dopamine transporter gene with schizophrenia in Han Chinese.' "Although dopamine was implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia, the human dopamine transporter gene (DAT1; SLC6A3) has not consistently been associated with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to examine whether six polymorphisms within the DAT1 gene are associated with schizophrenia," scientists in Taipei, Taiwan report (see also Schizophrenia Gene Therapy ).

"Six polymorphisms of the DAT1 gene (3 SNPs [rs6413429, rs2652511, and rs2975226] in the promoter region, one SNP [rs6347] in exon 9, and one SNP [rs27072]/one variable number tandem repeat [VNTR] in exon 15) were analyzed in 352 Chinese patients with schizophrenia and in 311 healthy controls. Pretreatment psychopathology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in a subset of 160 hospitalized schizophrenia patients who were drug-free or drug-naive. A statistically significant difference in...

Studies from Universite Laval reveal new findings on schizophrenia

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Research findings, 'An examination of the relative contribution of saturation and selective attention to memory deficits in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia and their unaffected parents,' are discussed in a new report. According to a study from Quebec, Canada, "Cognitive dysfunctions in patients suffering from schizophrenia (SZ) are also found in their unaffected parents though to a lesser degree. According to several researchers, short-term memory (STM) deficits are a potential marker of vulnerability to SZ."

"However, the cognitive processes underlying the observed STM deficits remain underspecified in SZ (Lee & Park, 2005). In the present study, our goal was to pinpoint those processes at play in the manifestation of STM deficits by using the paradigm of the sandwich effect (e.g., Hitch, 1975) to manipulate information load (5 vs. 7 to-be-remembered items) and distraction (control vs. sandwich) in the verbal domain. Our study comprises four groups: patients with SZ (n=25), their unaffected...

Study findings from Niigata University broaden understanding of schizophrenia therapy

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Researchers detail in 'The dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) gene and risk of schizophrenia: case-control studies and an updated meta-analysis,' new data in schizophrenia. "The dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) has been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. DRD3 has been tested for an association with schizophrenia, but with conflicting results," scientists in Niigata, Japan report (see also Schizophrenia Therapy ).

"A recent meta-analysis suggested that the haplotype T-T-T-G for the SNPs rs7631540-rs1486012-rs2134655-rs963468 may confer protection against schizophrenia. However, almost all previous studies of the association between DRD3 and schizophrenia have been performed using a relatively small sample size and a limited number of markers. To assess whether DRD3 is implicated in vulnerability to schizophrenia, we conducted case-control association studies and performed an updated meta-analysis. In the first population (595 patients and 598 controls), we examined 16 genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including tagging SNPs selected from the HapMap database...

Study findings from Simon Fraser University, Department of Biological Sciences provide new ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

New research, 'Evolution in health and medicine Sackler colloquium: Comparative genomics of autism and schizophrenia,' is the subject of a report. "We used data from studies of copy-number variants (CNVs), single-gene associations, growth-signaling pathways, and intermediate phenotypes associated with brain growth to evaluate four alternative hypotheses for the genomic and developmental relationships between autism and schizophrenia: (i) autism subsumed in schizophrenia, (ii) independence, (iii) diametric, and (iv) partial overlap. Data from CNVs provides statistical support for the hypothesis that autism and schizophrenia are associated with reciprocal variants, such that at four loci, deletions predispose to one disorder, whereas duplications predispose to the other," scientists in Burnaby, Canada report (see also Schizophrenia Genetics ).

"Data from single-gene studies are inconsistent with a hypothesis based on independence, in that autism and schizophrenia share associated genes more often than expected by chance. However, differentiation between the partial overlap and diametric hypotheses using these data...

Study results from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience update ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Research findings, 'Diffusion tensor anisotropy in the cingulate gyrus in schizophrenia,' are discussed in a new report. According to a study from the United States, "It has been proposed that schizophrenia results partly from altered brain connectivity. The anterior cingulate cortex in particular has been demonstrated to be affected in schizophrenia, with studies reporting reduced volume, altered neuronal arrangement, decreased anisotropy in diffusion tensor images, and hypometabolism."

"We used a 3T Siemens scanner to acquire structural and diffusion tensor imaging in age-and sex-matched groups of 41 adults with chronic schizophrenia, 6 adults with recent-onset schizophrenia, and 38 healthy control subjects. We manually traced the anterior and posterior cingulate gyri on all subjects and then compared the volume and anisotropy across groups for the left and right anterior and posterior cingulate gyri. The anterior cingulate gyrus was divided axially into six equal segments, and the posterior cingulate gyrus into two segments....

Study results from National Institute of Mental Health broaden understanding of schizophrenia ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Data detailed in 'Catechol-o-methyltransferase valine(158)methionine genotype and resting regional cerebral blood flow in medication-free patients with schizophrenia' have been presented. According to recent research from the United States, "A valine(158)methionine (val(158)met) polymorphism in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) modulates cortical dopaminergic catabolism and has been associated with schizophrenia. Consistent with schizophrenia itself, during cognitive tasks, the risk (val) allele predicts less efficient prefrontal cortex (PFC) physiology and worse performance, while during aversive stimuli viewing, this allele predicts less limbic activation."

"Task-independent effects of this polymorphism in schizophrenia have not yet been characterized. Twenty-five medication-free patients (28 ±6 years; 19 male patients) and 47 healthy individuals (29 ±8 years; 33 male individuals) were genotyped for the COMT val(158)met polymorphism and underwent two 60-second radiolabeled water ([(15)O]H(2)O) regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) positron emission tomography scans (10 mCi/scan) during rest. Data were analyzed with a random-effects general linear model using COMT genotype as a covariate....

Findings from M. Alvarez-Jimenez et al in psychosis reported

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

New investigation results, 'Prevention of antipsychotic-induced weight gain with early behavioural intervention in first-episode psychosis: 2-year results of a randomized controlled trial,' are detailed in a study published in Schizophrenia Research. According to a study from Santander, Spain, "While weight-management interventions are effective in attenuating antipsychotic-induced weight, there is no available evidence on their long-term effectiveness. This study sought to investigate the 2-year effects of an early behavioural intervention (EBI) designed to prevent antipsychotic-induced weight gain in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients."

"Sixty-one FEP patients were randomized to receive either EBI or treatment-as-usual. Intention-to-treat and observed-cases analysis showed that patients in the EBI group gained significantly less weight than those allocated to routine care at intervention completion (3-month follow-up) with treatment effects maintained over 3months. Differences between groups were no longer significant by 12months. Weight-management interventions may need to be offered for longer periods to maintain preventative effects," wrote M. Alvarez-Jimenez...

Data from J. Ventura and colleagues advance knowledge in schizophrenia

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Research findings, 'Symptoms as mediators of the relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis,' are discussed in a new report. According to recent research published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, "Neurocognitive functioning in schizophrenia has received considerable attention because of its robust prediction of functional outcome. Psychiatric symptoms, in particular negative symptoms, have also been shown to predict functional outcome, but have garnered much less attention."

"The high degree of intercorrelation among all of these variables leaves unclear whether neurocognition has a direct effect on functional outcome or whether that relationship to functional outcome is partially mediated by symptoms. A meta-analysis of 73 published English language studies (total n=6519) was conducted to determine the magnitude of the relationship between neurocognition and symptoms, and between symptoms and functional outcome. A model was tested in which symptoms mediate the relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome. Functional outcome involved measures...

Data from Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Department of Neurophysiology provide new ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Research findings, 'Resting-state functional network correlates of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia,' are discussed in a new report. "Schizophrenia has been associated with aberrant intrinsic functional organization of the brain but the relationship of such deficits to psychopathology is unclear. In this study, we investigated associations between resting-state networks and individual psychopathology in sixteen patients with paranoid schizophrenia and sixteen matched healthy control participants," researchers in Germany report (see also Schizophrenia ).

"We estimated whole-brain functional connectivity of multiple networks using a combination of spatial independent component analysis and multiple regression analysis. Five networks (default-mode, left and right fronto-parietal, left fronto-temporal and auditory networks) were selected for analysis based on their involvement in neuropsychological models of psychosis. Between-group comparisons and correlations to psychopathology ratings were performed on both spatial (connectivity distributions) and temporal features (power-spectral densities of temporal frequencies below 0.06 Hz). Schizophrenia patients showed aberrant functional connectivity in the default-mode...

Data on schizophrenia reported by researchers at Bharati Vidyapeeth

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

New investigation results, 'Reduced folic acid, vitamin B12 and docosahexaenoic acid and increased homocysteine and cortisol in never-medicated schizophrenia patients: implications for altered one-carbon metabolism,' are detailed in a study published in Psychiatry Research. "Abnormal one-carbon metabolism has long been suggested as one of the mechanisms for neuropathology and psychopathology of schizophrenia. Variable levels of components of one-carbon metabolism (folic acid and vitamin B12) and consequent altered levels of homocysteine and phospholipid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been independently reported, mostly in medicated patients," researchers in Pune, India report (see also Schizophrenia ).

"This study examined the simultaneous levels of these key components of one-carbon metabolism and its consequences in unique, medication-naive first-episode psychotic patients (FEP, n=31) and healthy controls (HC, n=48) matched for confounds such as race, diet and lifestyle to reduce the variability. Significantly lower levels of folate and vitamin B12 in plasma and folate in red blood cells...

Data on schizophrenia reported by Y. Hirata and co-researchers

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Scientists discuss in 'Lack of association between HTR4 gene polymorphisms and schizophrenia in case-control and family-based samples' new findings in schizophrenia. According to recent research from Toronto, Canada, "Previous studies have found haplotypic association of HTR4 variants and schizophrenia. Examining case-control pairs, G-G of rs7713886 was associated with schizophrenia risk."

"The A-A-G-G-G-A-A rs9325104-rs1422636-rs7715569-rs6873382-rs7711800-rs10078551-rs2068190 haplotype was overrepresented in the schizophrenia cases. The associations were no longer significant after corrections for multiple comparisons," wrote Y. Hirata and colleagues, (see also Schizophrenia ).

The researchers concluded: "No association was found in the family sample."

Hirata and colleagues published their study in Psychiatry Research (Lack of association between HTR4 gene polymorphisms and schizophrenia in case-control and family-based samples. Psychiatry Research, 2010;175(1-2):176-8).

For additional information, contact Y. Hirata, Neurogenetics Section, CAMH, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Publisher contact information for the journal Psychiatry Research is: Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd., Customer Relations Manager, Bay 15, Shannon Industrial Estate, Co. Clare, Ireland.

Findings from GlaxoSmithKline advance knowledge in schizophrenia

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Data detailed in 'Plasma protein biomarkers for depression and schizophrenia by multi analyte profiling of case-control collections' have been presented. According to recent research from Verona, Italy, "Despite significant research efforts aimed at understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders, the diagnosis and the evaluation of treatment of these disorders are still based solely on relatively subjective assessment of symptoms. Therefore, biological markers which could improve the current classification of psychiatry disorders, and in perspective stratify patients on a biological basis into more homogeneous clinically distinct subgroups, are highly needed."

"In order to identify novel candidate biological markers for major depression and schizophrenia, we have applied a focused proteomic approach using plasma samples from a large case-control collection. Patients were diagnosed according to DSM criteria using structured interviews and a number of additional clinical variables and demographic information were assessed. Plasma samples from 245 depressed patients, 229 schizophrenic patients and...

Findings from Pochon CHA University, Department of Psychiatry broaden understanding of ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Research findings, 'Effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention for relapse prevention in patients with schizophrenia receiving risperidone via long-acting injection,' are discussed in a new report. "Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that is usually characterized by relapses alternating with periods of full or partial remission. We examined whether combined therapy with a psychosocial intervention for relapse prevention (PIRP) and risperidone administered by long-acting injection (RLAI) would be more effective in reducing relapses than RLAI with treatment-as-usual (TAU) among outpatients with schizophrenia," investigators in Korea report (see also Schizophrenia Prevention ).

"We conducted a prospective, controlled study over 2 years in 46 patients with schizophrenia receiving RLAI, of which 21 and 25 patients were assigned to the PIRP and TAU control groups, respectively. The 1-and 2-year relapse rates were lower and medication compliance was higher in the PIRP group than in the TAU group. Cox proportional analysis revealed that time from baseline to...

New findings in schizophrenia therapy described by M.J. Escarti and co-researchers

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

A report, 'Increased amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus activation in schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations: an fMRI study using independent component analysis,' is newly published data in Schizophrenia Research. According to recent research from Valencia, Spain, "Hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia have strong emotional connotations. Functional neuroimaging techniques have been widely used to study brain activity in patients with schizophrenia with hallucinations or emotional impairments."

"However, few of these studies have investigated the association between hallucinations and emotional dysfunctions using an emotional auditory paradigm. Independent component analysis (ICA) is an analysis method that is especially useful for decomposing activation during complex cognitive tasks in which multiple operations occur simultaneously. Our aim in this study is to analyze brain activation after the presentation of emotional auditory stimuli in patients with schizophrenia with and without chronic auditory hallucinations using ICA methodology. It was hypothesized that functional connectivity differences in limbic regions responsible for...

New schizophrenia findings from National Cheng Kung University, Institute of Behavioral ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Data detailed in 'Emotional management and 5-HT2A receptor gene variance in patients with schizophrenia' have been presented. "Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit impaired social cognitive functions, particularly emotion management. Emotion management may be partially regulated by the serotoninergic system; the -1438 A/G polymorphism in the promoter region of the 5-HT2A gene can modulate 5-HT2A activity and is linked to certain emotional traits and anger-and aggression-related behaviors," investigators in Tainan, Taiwan report (see also Schizophrenia ).

"The current study aimed to investigate whether this 5-HT2A genetic variance is associated with social cognitive function, particularly the management of emotions. One hundred and fifteen patients with chronic schizophrenia were stabilized with an optimal-dose of antipsychotic treatment. All were genotyped for the -1438 A/G polymorphism and assessed with symptom rating scales, neurocognitive instruments, and the 'Managing Emotions' section of Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Multiple regression showed that patients with the A/G genotype performed better...