— Study Finds Deletions and Repeats in DNA Sequences —
PHILADELPHIA, May 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — By analyzing the genomes of patients with schizophrenia, genetics researchers have discovered numerous copy number variations — deletions or duplications of DNA sequences — that increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Significantly, many of these variations occur in genes that affect signaling among brain cells.
“When we compared the genomes of patients with schizophrenia to those of healthy subjects, we found variations in genes that regulate brain functions, several of which are already known to be perturbed in patients with this disorder,” said study leader Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Although much research remains to be done, detecting genes on specific pathways is a first step to identifying more specific targets for improved drug treatments.”
The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published online this week.
Read in Full:Â http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4106575
 
Schizophrenia: Regular Exercise Guidelines Still Apply
ScienceDaily (May 11, 2010) — Regular exercise can play an important a role in improving the physical and mental wellbeing of individuals with schizophrenia, according to a review published in The Cochrane Library. Following a systematic review of the most up-to-date research on exercise in schizophrenia, researchers concluded that the current guidelines for exercise should be followed by people with schizophrenia just as they should by the general population.
“Current guidelines for exercise appear to be just as acceptable to individuals with schizophrenia in terms of potential physical and mental health benefit,” says lead researcher Guy Faulkner of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto, Canada. “So thirty minutes of moderate physical activity on most or all days of the week is a good goal to aim for. Start slowly and build up.”
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness affecting four in every 1,000 people. It is already known that exercise can improve mental health, but so far there has been only limited evidence of effects in schizophrenia. The new review focused on three recent small studies that compared the effects of 12-16 week exercise programmes, including components such as jogging, walking and strength training, to standard care or yoga.
The researchers found that exercise programmes improved mental state for measures including anxiety and depression, particularly when compared to standard care. Changes in physical health outcomes were seen but they were not significant overall. However, the researchers suggest this may be due to the short timescale of the trials.
Read in Full:Â http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100511192250.htm