Approximately 1 in every 100 adults will be diagnosed with schizophrenia in their life.
The condition affects many aspects of a patient. Notably, it can lead to hallucinations, issues with memory, and behavioural problems.
However, there are limited options when it comes to schizophrenia treatment.
“Up to 50 percent [of patients] end up with treatment-resistant disease that fails to respond to the standard-of-care medications,” said Professor Murray Cairns, researcher at the University of Newcastle.
“It’s important to help people experiencing psychosis quickly before they withdraw from work and social connections,” he said in a press release.
Understanding schizophrenia has been especially difficult in the past.
The main method was to take brain tissue samples from deceased patients. However, these samples are limited.
This presents a problem. It is difficult to treat schizophrenia because little is known about it. Further, little is known about the condition because it is hard to examine and research.
A study published in November 2023, however, offers a new technique that could offer hope to identifying early signs of the condition.
In a featured article with the Univeristy of Newcastle, Prof. Cairns revealed the method examined the composition of brain neurons by looking at the pockets they release—vesicles.
In the study, Prof. Cairns further reveals a possible blood marker that could be linked to schizophrenia.
In partnership with the Australian Schizophrenia Research biobank, the team assessed blood samples from 600 people, including 230 people diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The team found that patients with schizophrenia had differences in miRNA (micro-RNA), an important player that controls genes.
“We have been able to use blood from living people to understand what is different about the neurons in the brain,” said Prof. Cairns.
This is an advancement, as this technique makes it possible to compare the blood of a healthy adult and a person with schizophrenia.
Prof. Cairns says this method of testing could allow for better diagnosis and the development of effective and personalised treatments.
