More evidence for link between flu and schizophrenia
(05/15/04)
 It
has been indicated previously that children to mothers who have had
influenza during pregnacy are at higher risk of developing schizophrenia.
Now, an additional study confirms these
indications.
Source: Reuters Health, Friday, May 7, and Medical News Today,
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
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more in article on www.reutershealth.com
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more in article on www.medicalnewstoday.com
Pregnant women
encouraged to spend more time outdoors (01/31/04)
 It
is known that there is a connection between mental illness and vitamin
D. During the colder winter months when there is less sunlight there
is an increase in the number of people born with schizophrenia. An
Australian study now supports this, showing that vitamin D-deficient
rats are born with brain abnormalities that matches those observed
in patients with schizophrenia. The researchers therefore advise pregnant
women in particular to ensure they have moderate exposure to sunlight
or supplement their diets with vitamin D fortified milk.
Source: Yahoo News, Tuesday, January 27, 2004
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more in article on au.news.yahoo.com
High blood pressure
and diuretics during pregnancy may increase the risk for schizophrenia
in the offspring (03/15/03)
A current study suggests that if women recieve diuretics early in
pregnancy, the development of the fetus' brain may be affected,
possibly increasing the risk of schizophrenia. The results appear
in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Source: American Journal of Psychiatry, v. 160(3), p. 464, and
HeartCenterOnline, Thursday, March 13, 2003
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more in article on www.heartcenteronline.com
PubMed
abstract
Prenatal cocaine
may cause schizophrenia-associated brain damage (06/29/01)
 Researchers,
who have studied the brains of rhesus monkeys, have found a link
between pregnant women's use of cocaine and the loss of a significant
number of cells in the infant's cerebral cortex. The newborns were
also smaller compared to the control babies in the study. The cerebral
cortex is an area of the brain that is involved in many higher functions.
The damage seen in the cocaine-exposed infants were the same that
has been observed in many schizophrenic patients.
These findings could hence be of imortance for the development of
treatment stategies for schizophrenia and other brain disorders.
PubMed
abstract
Article
on Yahoo! - Reuters (06/28/01)
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