New breakthrough in treatment of schizophrenia

A drug used to treat schizophrenia (schizophrenia) has just been born and is considered a turning point in the pharmaceutical industry for more than a decade. This drug proved to be very effective not only in clinical trials but also in popular medical treatments. It is very superior and has few side effects.

Unlike the existing antipsychotic drugs that prevent the natural activity of a chemical called dopamine, this new drug acts on another chemical that also has the function of transmitting signals between nerve cells called glutamate.

Dopamine is a chemical that transmits signals between nerve cells in the brain, primarily involved in controlling thoughts, emotions, behavior and perception.

So far, the world has only had drugs that limit severe symptoms but cause side effects in dopamine receptors.

In a clinical trial, a research team led by scientist Sandeep Patil distributed a new drug called LY2140023 to 97 patients, and control groups were given placebo or olanzipine. , a drug is usually prescribed to prevent mental disorders.

Differences between normal brain and schizophrenic brain in men and women (Left: normal brain, right: brain with schizophrenia, above: male brain, below: female brain) - (Photo : Schizophrenia.com)

According to a study published in the Nature Science Sunday of the UK, this new remedy also causes fewer unwanted side effects. LY2140023 has been shown to be as effective as olanzipine in treating positive symptoms such as hallucinations as well as negative symptoms such as quietness, insensitivity, and shrinking.

It is worth noting that this drug avoids the side effects of drugs that affect dopamine such as weight gain, increased blood fats called triglycerides, periodontitis and gingivitis.

These chemicals in the brain are out of balance, causing the symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations, delusions, or severe impairment of the ability to express emotions. In addition, environmental factors also have an impact on the development of this disease.

Patients often hear voices echoing in their heads and assume that other people are reading their thoughts and controlling their thoughts, watching, assaulting them or believing that they are seriously ill, carrying felonies or Seeing things other people don't see are actually not real.

Illustrations of people with schizophrenia (Photo: Treklens.com)

This makes the sick, scared, excited, smashed, shouted unjustly or become quiet, cold, emotionless, withdrawn, avoiding contact even with relatives.

For decades, scientists have suspected that errors in the signaling between glutamate neurons are linked to schizophrenia, but they have not found a mechanism until now. What exactly is its operation.

Researchers also warn that this is just a study showing the feasibility and prospects of a new drug in the treatment of schizophrenia, which still needs testing LY2140023 compared to other drugs. deeper and longer.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no drug to treat this disease at chronic levels. This chronic disease affects the lives of 1/250 people, occurs in men late in adolescence and in the early years of the 20s, and in women it occurs later than 10 years.

In Vietnam, according to information on the website of Vietnam Pharmaceutical and Medical Information, the number of Vietnamese people suffering from schizophrenia accounts for 0.3-1% of the population.

Minh Minh