-Caveat Lector- (Fascinating. --SW)
Swedish Scientists Find Schizophrenia Clue Fri Aug 23, 8:42 AM ET STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish scientists have found a tiny, mysterious particle in the spinal marrow fluid which may be a new form of life and which could help explain the cause of schizophrenia. "They may be involved in the development of the disease or may result from the disease process in brains of schizophrenic patients," the researchers said in an abstract of the study published on Friday. Schizophrenia is a widespread and debilitating form of mental disease with symptoms ranging from delusions and an altered sense of self to apathy and social withdrawal. It affects around one percent of people. Lennart Wetterberg, professor of psychiatry at Stockholm's St. Goran Hospital and one of the co-authors of the study, said the full significance of the findings was not yet clear and more research was needed. "We have viruses, bacteria and prions -- this could be an entirely new form of life," he told Reuters. But he said this was just one theory, and it was still uncertain what form of life the particles, which are bigger than ordinary viruses but smaller than bacteria, represented. The study, published in Neuroscience Letters, was made on the basis of spinal fluid obtained by lumbar puncture from 22 schizophrenic patients and 38 control patients. The study found spherical particles -- only 100,000th of a millimeter in size -- in the spinal fluid of 20 of the 22 patients with schizophrenia against only two of the 38 controls, it said. The particles did not include bacterial DNA material and had so far not replicated in culture. "They are not any of the usual viruses or bacteria that have been found," Wetterberg said. "They are more like something like the prion which is causing mad cow disease -- but it took 15 years until it was found out what that really was." He said it was too early to speculate whether the particles were a cause of schizophrenia or whether the disease caused them, and a bigger number of people would have to be studied. "We have found the first link in a chain, and whether my excitement increases or decreases depends on the answer to the next step," he said. Puzzling Particles Found in Schizophrenia Patients Fri Aug 23, 5:33 PM ET By Stephen Pincock STOCKHOLM (Reuters Health) - Swedish scientists have found a tiny particle in the spinal fluid of people with schizophrenia that could be a marker for the disease, or even play some part in causing it. "The micrometer-sized particles may serve as biological disease markers in schizophrenia," the researchers report in a study published on Friday. "Hyopthetically, they may be involved in the development of the disease or may result from the disease process in brains of schizophrenic patients." Schizophrenia is a widespread and debilitating form of mental disease with symptoms ranging from delusions and an altered sense of self, to apathy and social withdrawal. It affects around 1% of people, but how it develops is poorly understood. Dr. Lennart Wetterberg, professor of psychiatry at Stockholm's St. Goran Hospital and one of the co-authors of the study, said the full significance of the finding was not yet clear and more research was needed. "It could be anything, and we're open to all possibilities. It's not a quiz game and we're not gambling with bookmakers," he told Reuters Health. "We have to do more work." Wetterberg said he hoped the publication of the study would stimulate other researchers to conduct research. "If it's hopeful or discouraging only the next step will tell," he said. The researchers took spinal fluid from 22 schizophrenic patients and 38 healthy "control" patients. In the journal Neuroscience Letters, they report finding spherical particles in the spinal fluid of 20 of the 22 patients with schizophrenia but only 2 of the 38 controls. One theory could be that it is a new form of life, although it is still uncertain what the micrometer-sized particles, which are bigger than viruses but smaller than bacteria, actually are. The particles did not include bacterial DNA material and so far have not replicated in culture. "They are not any of the usual viruses or bacteria that have been found," Wetterberg said. "They are more like something like the prion which is causing mad cow disease--but it took 15 years until it was found out what that really was. "And of course there are still many open questions there, so we should be quite humble," he said. On 26 Aug 2002 at 21:26, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > how many of you caught the blurb in one of the daily newpapers re researchers > finding what is possibly 'a new form of life' living in the bone marrow of > schizophrenics? I find this interesting because the person who was with me in > 1973 when I spent about 30 minutes chasing a ufo developed schizophrenia in > the years thereafter and I am wondering how many ufo contactees/abductees > have someone close to them with this disease. > > -> To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ==^================================================================ > This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1dk0k.b2YLnE > Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! > http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register > ==^================================================================ > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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