Recent Research

Recently there has been a rise in interest in alternative treatments in psychiatry. With the recognition of the now established fact that psychiatric diseases are cause by chemical errors, there has been an increase in organic alternative treatments, including herbal medicine. Pauling did not favor herbal medicine, but rather favored natural body substances such as vitamins. However, the real answere may lie in the amino acids.
A currently popular alternative treatment is the use of amega-3 fatty acids. However, the rationale for this is very weak. True, these are important in neuronal development. However, the neurodevelopmental theory for schizophrenia has been proven wrong. Gliosis, repeatedly reported in neuropathology studies for over a century, is incompatible with a neurodeveolpmental error. Rather, it suggests a toxic factor.

This photo shows the late Seymour Kety of Harvard. Kety won the Lasker Award. Kety was a skeptic of all positive findings except for his own. His own studies showed a strong genetic component in schizophrenia, supporting biochemical theories. However, he attacked these same biochemical theories that his own research supported. Also he seemed to ignore many positive findings in the Soviet Union.

Shown here is Linus Pauling and his family in 1954. Pauling did not favor St. John's wort and other herbal treatments. Rather Pauling thought that there was a deficiency localized to the brain in schizophrenia. This view was welcomed by the Canadian scientist Hoffer. Hoffer is still alive, but Pauling is deceased.

Shown here are some polyphenols found in beer. This author (Olson) feels that polyphenols may be useful as they are COMT inhibitors. However, beer is not good because of the alcohol content.

Shown here are dopamine pathways as depicted on the Brain Channels website. Note the importance of the forebrain, which has long been suspected in schizophrenia. The base of the brain is also involved. Neuropathology has been reported in the basal forebrain in schizophrenia.

Shown here is Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, who is extremely conroversial. Torrey has been against deinstitutionalization because he feels that it contributes to homelessness.

Professor Kety, a prolific writer, died in the year 2000. He wrote many scientific papers and edited many books.

Shown here is Dr. Julius Axelrod winning the Nobel Prize in 1970. Axelrod thought that a toxic amine caused schizophrenia. He studied the enzyme COMT, which metabolizes certain amines including dopamine.

Shown here is the chemical structure of dopamine. Dopamine was the subject of intense scrutiny by the late Dr. Arnold Friedhoff and by his colleague, Elnora van Winkle. Van Winkle is also deceased, unfortunately. They found a toxin made from dopamine. This toxin was only found in schizophrenics. The initial report appeared in 1962.

Shown here is the reaction creating DOPA, the precursor of dopamine. DOPA is used as a drug to treat Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately it has psychiatric side effects.

This is the one book by Torrey that I spent a lot of time reading. This is due to the fact that there is a lot of scientific information in it (as well as the political agenda). At one time Torrey predicted the "death of psychiatry". However, this has proven to be a premature burial. Torrey thought that neurology would take over psychiatry. However, neurology didn't want it!