2023-08-01 17:35:00
Schizophrenia decoded: How the disease develops
The exact cause of schizophrenia is not fully understood, but it is thought to be a Combination of genetic, neurochemical and environmental factors plays a role.
A research team from Reutlingen and Tübingen has developed a method to get to the bottom of the causes of schizophrenia, without nerve cells from living people to have to remove. Instead, the scientists used Skin cells from people suffering from schizophrenia. The cells were then reprogrammed into stem cells. Both nerve cells and microglia cells might be differentiated from these stem cells. Microglia are the immune cells of the brain, also known as “brain scavenger cells” or “brain macrophages”. They are involved in clearing invading germs and dead nerve cells, and play a role in the brain’s lifelong plasticity.
The research found that the Activated microglial cells from diseased individuals and damage the neurons through inflammatory processes. This leads to destruction of synapses, suggesting that activated microglia impair the function of neural networks and thereby cognitive disorders can cause. At the same time, the researchers found that neurons literally stimulate the microglial cells. Both cell types thus influence each other negatively and form a vicious circle. The good news is that microglial activity is pre-treatment with minocycline, an anti-inflammatory drug, might be reduced. This reduced the loss of synapses.
Also exciting: When Fear Becomes an Illness – In Conversation with Klaus Bernhardt >>
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