MENTAL ILLNESS WITH BIOLOGICAL BASIS

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For many years, mental illness were confined to social or environmental causes. Now, Fred Gage (Salk Institute for Biological Studies), along with biologists from the University of California Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, have demonstrated that these are biological rather than enviromental causes.To this end, researchers took skin fibroblasts of healthy people and 4 schizophrenic who became human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), after which they were converted (reprogrammed) to neurons. The neurons of people with schizophrenia showed less interconnectivity than neurons in healthy people. Later cultured neurons demonstrated the efficacy of antipsychotic Loxapine to restore neuronal connections. Rechearchers also identified 600 genes whose expression depends on it they were healthy or schizophrenic neurons.

ENFERMEDADES MENTALES CON BASE BIOLOGICA

Durante muchos años, las enfermedades mentales estuvieron confinadas a causas sociales o ambientales. Ahora, Fred Gage (Salk Institute for Biological Studies), conjuntamente con biologos de la Universidad de California Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, vienen demostrando que estas tienen causas biologicas mas que ambientales. Para ello los investigadores tomaron fibroblastos de piel de personas saludables y de 4 esquizofrenicos a los que convirtieron en human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), poco despues convertidas (reprogramadas), a neuronas. Las neuronas de personas esquizofrenicas mostraron menos interconectividad que las neuronas de personas saludables. Posteriormente en cultivos de neuronas se demostró la eficacia del antipsicotico Loxapine para restablecer conexiones neuronales. Asimismo se identificaron 600 genes cuya expresion variaba segun se tratase de neuronas sanas o de personas esquizofrenicas.