Increasingly - it looks like Epigenetics are the key way that people develop schizophrenia:
Epigenetic signaling in schizophrenia.
Growing evidences suggest that epigenetic modifications in certain brain regions and neural circuits represent a key mechanism through which environmental factors interact with individual’s genetic constitution to affect risk of psychiatric conditions throughout life.
from this new research:
More information:
and
more details here:
Epigenetic clue to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
TWIN studies have shown that people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have changes in gene activity caused by their environment. The finding provides the strongest evidence yet that such gene changes might cause the conditions.
Jonathan Mill at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, and colleagues scanned the genome of 22 pairs of identical twins - chosen because one twin in each pair was diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
As expected, the twins had identical DNA. However, they showed significant differences in chemical “epigenetic” markings - changes that do not alter the sequence of DNA but leave chemical marks on genes that dictate how active they are. These changes were on genes that have been linked with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
I don’t know much about Bruce Lipton - but from what I do see it seems like he’s overgeneralizing from the research (which is very specific).
Right now - there isn’t any research that I’ve seen showing that there is a way to reverse the epigenetic changes.
There is a lot of good research and science around schizophrenia and epigenetics - but I don’t think Bruce Lipton is adding anything to the discussion if he isn’t very accurate in his statements. I prefer to focus on the science behind what actually works, or what actually causes schizophrenia.
Epigenetics is the New Big Thing. I’ve tried a few times here to see if I could get some traction for it on this website, but I think it’s too abstruse and complex for most readers. I’ve been following the research for about five years, though, and it makes total sense to me, at least. Just think “mitotic cell division” and things that can happen to the process when the total # of dividing cells is still relatively small.
From what I’ve read - it seems to involve demethylation of DNA, which silences or promotes genes - which leads to the illness. Hopefully this leads to new treatments:
DNA methylation and demethylation as targets for antipsychotic therapy
and…
Research by J. David Sweatt’s group at the University of Alabama at Birmingham which has found that with the BDNF gene, demethylation happens rapidly under certain conditions, such as when people experience stress. This demethylation seems to upregulate gene expression.
Prenatal supplementation with vitamins rich in methyl donors such as choline is seems to mitigate the effect of prenatal stress on brain development, and greatly lower risk of schizophrenia (tested in rats, and currently in clinical trials at U. Denver on humans).
Which is why Big Pharma is all over what appears to be a simple solution via re-methylation right now. (Didn’t I post a news article on this in the last few days?)
I know that the topic seems difficult to grasp at first, but if people can wrap their minds around it, they will get major clues as to how to change their behavior here and there in ways that can change the way their brains function. See…
Despite of having my share of self help books in my life, I gave it a look at one of the books comments in the diagonal. Some compliments at the overall topic but don’t think it changes people. It’s just stuff put in a book to sell. There’s no How to to life. And I am being very short because I have low tolerance for matters of this kind.
I used to. I had to change my point of view. (After nine years of gawd-awful terror, 11 hospitalizations, and two suicide attempts with wake-ups in the ICU.)
Until they consider the other beings they won’t have the cause of my “disorder.” Genes were not the cause, maybe they like to do things with certain genes though.
