Toxic Factors in Schizophrenia

Introduction  

  In 1976 Mato et al of Japan reported "flourescent material" in the blood of schizophrenics. This material was seen in the platelets and the leucocytes.   A similar report appeared out of Russia in 1976 by Averkin et al. The Russian report claimed "activated lymphocytes". Biopsy material was used.

Bonartsev (1976)  

  This was a banner year for schizophrenia research. Bonartsev, a brilliant Russian scientist, also reported activated lymphocytes in schizophrenia. Bonartsev called them "atypical". They were more adhesive and had wider cytoplasms.

Bonartsev & Buravlev (1977)  

  In this study lymphocytes were incubated with brain cells. The activated lymphocytes from schizophrenics "called forth degenerative changes in the cells of brain culture in the area of contacts". "The lymphocytes of the patients are characterized by an increased amount of cytoplasmic processes." 

Solov'eva & Orlovskaia (1977)  

  These Russian scientists found lipofuscin in "cells of the embryonic brain". This study was on abortions from schizophrenic Mothers. This suggests a toxic factor in the blood of the Mothers. The lipofuscin could be a residue of the toxin. This apears consistent with the Japanese report because dopamine is flourescent. The lipofuscin could come from a dopamine metabolite.

Scientific Biography: Dide

 Maurice Dide was a psychiatrist who was born in 1873 and died in 1944. Dide was born in Paris. Dide studied schizophrenia, which was then called "dementia praecox". He reported anatomic and histologic lesions in the basal ganglia and the thalamus of schizophrenics. He published a paper on this in 1921.   Recent MRI studies have confirmed the work of Dide. If this work is correct, this appears to suggest the possible involvement of dopamine, which is found in high concentrations in the basal ganglia and the thalamus.

Functional Studies in Schizophrenia

 In 1992 Tamminga et al reported a PET study with FDG, an analog of glucose. This study showed reduced glucose metabolism in schizophrenia in the parahippocampal gyrus. Dr. Carol Tamminga worked on a chapter of a book published in 2002 called "Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences". The book was edited by Yudofsky and Hales.

Lafayette Clinic Work Confirmed  

  The work of Tamminga et al partly confirms previous work by the Lafayette Clinic in Detroit. In 1971 a book was published entitled "The World Biennial of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy", edited by Sivano Arieti. Volume I included a chapter by Beckett and Gottlieb. These Detroit workers reported "a plasma factor or factors" that was (were) toxic. One protein was called "factor 1". A Russian group confirmed "factor 1". It was a high molecular weight alpha globulin that was labile. This factor was also confirmed using a different assay by Bergen and his group in Massachusetts. The factor caused a disturbance in carbohydrate metabolism.   Frohman reported that the factor caused hemolysis (destruction of erythrocytes). The Detroit group found that the problem was caused by an increased cellular uptake of amino acids, including tryptophan. 

Giants of Science: Dr. Alexander Shulgin

 Much of my research on Shulgin has been done on the internet, which contains massive amounts of information about this drug guru. Shulgin is a professor at University of California in Berkeley. California is no stranger to controversy after housing Linus Pauling at Cal Tech and later at Stanford. However, Shulgin has a completely different approach than Pauling. Pauling was an anti-war activist, which alienated him from the government, although he was very popular throughout the world.

Drugs  

  Although Linus Pauling was critical of drugs, including cold medicines, Shulgin favors drugs. Shulgin is considered a leading expert on drugs of abuse. Shulgin has also studied DMPEA, a very controversial substance found only in schizophrenics and in the peyote cactus. There has been much controversy as to whether DMPEA is psychoactive. It has been proven to be psychoactive in animals, but Shulgin disputes its effect on humans, if any. One problem is that certain substances are weak when given by mouth because of the fact that the digestive system can destroy them. This is seen in the case of insulin. Another problem is that the blood-brain barrier excludes certain substances, making the therapy of Parkinson's disease difficult. Thus dopamine is not given to Parkinsonian patients, but large doses of L-dopa are used instead. Shulgin, who is called "Sasha" as a nickname, is over 70 years old. He began publishing articles in 1961 and is still going strong. He took an interest in schizophrenia for a while, but is now mostly interested in psychedelic drugs, which can simulate schizophrenia.

Conclusions  

  Bonartsev (1977) felt that "the blood of schizophrenic patients contains biologically active substances, which bring on an increase of adhesive properties in the lymphocytes and their physiological activation." These cells had wide cytoplasms. The "fluorescent substance" reported by the Japanese group may be the toxin. This toxin causes the "acute swelling" of neurons seen in schizophrenia by Orlovskaia et al.

  But what do you do about it? The answer may be a diet very low in amino acids. It may be that amino acids are flooding the cells and causing them to blow up like balloons and burst. This is also causing the slowing of glucose metabolism because the brain is burning amino acids instead of glucose. Thus we have a diabetes of the brain.

  There are many false theories. Psychoanalysis has failed. One psychoanalyst, Reich, was even put in jail for pretending to have a cure for cancer. Scientology is a quack attack. Quackery pretends to be science. Psychoanalysts have built castles in the air, according to Kraepelin of Germany. They leap over scientific barriers. People have spend enormous amounts of money on psychoanalysis and have gotten nothing for it. 

Reference

1. Sargent, T. W., D. M. Israelstrom, A. T. Shulgin, S. A. Landaw, and N. N. Finley, "A note concerning the fate of the 4-methoxy group in 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine (DMPEA)", Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.  29: 126-130.