A novel approach to probing the biological origins of schizophrenia has identified excess production of hydrogen sulfide in the brain as a factor. The recent EMBO Molecular Medicine study also suggests that an enzyme that helps to produce hydrogen sulfide in the brain and leaves a trace in human hair may serve as a presymptomatic biomarker for a subtype of schizophrenia. The researchers propose that the findings could lead to a new class of drugs for schizophrenia. Current treatments, which target the brain's dopamine and serotonin systems, are not always effective and give rise to side effects. "Targeting the metabolic pathway of hydrogen sulfide provides a novel therapeutic approach," concluded the authors, whose investigation involved genetically engineered mice, postmortem human brain tissue, and people with and without schizophrenia. Senior study author Dr. Takeo Yoshikawa, who leads the molecular psychiatry team at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan, notes that drug companies have stopped developing new treatments for schizophrenia. A new paradigm is needed for the development of novel drugs, he observes, adding that Currently, about 30% of patients with schizophrenia are resistant to dopamine D2-receptor antagonist therapy. (Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)
