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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, DEC 9: A study in the United Kingdom has shown that brain imaging can help in early diagnosis of schizophrenia, a development which will not only improve chances of recovery of schizophrenics but even help in preventing the progress of the disease.
The study by Dr Tonmoy Sharma at the Institute of Psychiatry, which is a part of King’s college London, found that substantial brain changes in schizophrenia are present at the earliest stages of the illness, implying that these changes precede the appearance of psychotic symptoms.
The findings suggest a role for brain imaging in pinpointing warning signs of the illness, and even preventing its development.
Schizophrenia is a group of mental disorders characterised by withdrawal from reality and by alterations in thinking, feeling and concept formations.
Sharma performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 68 participants, including 37 people experiencing their first episode of psychosis, and a group of healthy volunteers.
MRI scans identified differences in the structure of key regions, such as the temporal lobe, between the healthy volunteers and those experiencing psychosis, according to the study published in the American Journal Psychiatry.
Previous research has also shown there are differences in the brains of people with schizophrenia and healthy volunteers. But these studies involved people who have had schizophrenia for many years making it difficult to identify whether brain changes are due to the ageing process, a result of their illnes or the side effects of their medication.
However, in Sharma’s studies all the participants who exhibited symptoms of psychosis had experienced psychosis for only three months or less, and some had never taken antipsychotic drugs before. Still, the MRI scans showed quiet distinct brain changes suggesting that by the time someone starts to show signs of psychotic behaviour, their brains are already structurally different.
As it is now recognised that people with schizophrenia have a better chance of recovery if their psychosis is treated at the earliest possible stage, the study assumes importance as it indicates that brain changes are evident while the illness is in its earliest stages.
To prevent schizophrenia, researchers are therefore starting to focus on an even earlier stage called the "prodrome phase," before psychosis becomes apparent. However, signs of the prodrome are difficult to distinguish from the beginning of other psychiatric illnesses, or just normal adolescence, the report said.
In the future, brain imaging may provide a way of identifying early signs of schizophrenia and ultimately alter the approach to the condition, it said.
