Untersuchungen zeigen
https://www.ehu.eus/en/web/campusa-magazine/-/schizophrenia-found-to-alter-the-scaffolding-that-supports-the-neurones-and-communication-between-them
Untersuchungen zeigen
https://www.ehu.eus/en/web/campusa-magazine/-/schizophrenia-found-to-alter-the-scaffolding-that-supports-the-neurones-and-communication-between-them
3 Kommentare
>This study used a pioneering model based on neural stem cells obtained from the nasal cavity of patients with schizophrenia, more specifically, from the olfactory epithelium. The olfactory epithelium is a region very close to the brain located at the top part of the nostrils, where the olfactory neurones that allow us to smell are located. The olfactory epithelium also contains neural stem cells that can be extracted by means of nasal exfoliation. This simple, non-invasive method enables the extracted neural stem cells to be cultured in the laboratory and grouped together to form structures called neurospheres that mimic the initial stages of neurodevelopment; this is the process of growth, maturity and functional development of the nervous system, which begins during pregnancy and continues until adulthood, enabling cognitive, motor and social skills to be acquired. “That way, we got a unique window to study the disease directly and in a personalised way,” explained Paula Unzueta, the article’s lead author.
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>In fact, the researchers discovered that when neurospheres were generated, alterations were already taking place in genes related to the extracellular matrix. In addition to neurospheres, mature neurones can also be obtained from neural stem cells in the olfactory epithelium, and in these neurones they also detected defects in genes linked to synapses and their interaction with the matrix.
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>To validate these results, the team measured, in parallel, the levels of certain proteins present in neurones cultured in the laboratory and in post-mortem brain tissue from subjects with schizophrenia. When comparing these levels with those of individuals without schizophrenia, they found that three proteins essential for the formation and functioning of synapses, L1CAM, NPTXR and SCG2, were reduced.
[Extracellular matrix dysfunction and synaptic alterations in schizophrenia | Molecular Psychiatry](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-025-03154-2)
Am I correctly inferring we may be on the verge of a more-or-less objective test for schizophrenia?
So does this mean schizophrenia counts as neurodivergence instead of a situational mental health disorder?