Myelin a key issue in Brains with Schizophrenia

“Myelin insulates the neurons and prevents electrical leakage from inside to outside,” says Ongur. If there is a problem in the myelin, “that would cause abnormal information processing,” he says, “and the connection between neurons in different parts of the brain would suffer.”

Their results suggest that the abnormalities happen in both the long projections of neurons called axons, whose primary function is to transmit signals from neuron to neuron, and the myelin. If the axon is an electric wire, the myelin is the plastic covering. Both are important in transmitting information and, in schizophrenia, both appear to function abnormally.

Biological Psychiatry
Brain scan images showing the marker used to identify changes in white matter in the prefrontal cortex. Courtesy Biological Psychiatry.

“We found abnormalities in both locations,” says Ongur. “The implication is if you know where the abnormality is, you can focus your treatment intervention at the place where the abnormality is. We know we need to worry about health of neurons and the myelin.”
It’s still too early to use this new imaging method as a diagnostic tool. “One concern is people with other psychiatric problems may have similar abnormalities, too. We’re looking at that,” says Ongur.

Read more: http://txchnologist.com/post/62911792383/can-brain-imaging-pinpoint-schizophrenias-source#ixzz2gmUhBJsr

thats because the meds eat away at the brain. they try to blame everything on the illness

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