Psychosis

A generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality". People experiencing psychosis may report hallucinations or delusional beliefs, and may exhibit personality changes and disorganized thinking. This may be accompanied by unusual or bizarre behavior, as well as difficulty with social interaction and impairment in carrying out the activities of daily living. People with schizophrenia have terrifying symptoms such as hearing voices, or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. They typically have enduring problems with memory, attention, and problem solving. Other less obvious symptoms are social isolation, problems understanding social interactions and knowing how to behave in social situations, and unusual speech and behavior.

Why can't chimps speak? Study links evolution of single gene to human capacity for language

If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not?   

 

Scientists suspect that part of the answer to the mystery lies in a gene called FOXP2. When mutated, FOXP2 can disrupt speech and language in humans. Now, a UCLA–Emory University study reveals major differences between how the human and chimp versions of FOXP2 work, perhaps explaining why language is unique to humans.   Published Nov. 11 in the online edition of the journal Nature, the findings provide insight into the evolution of the human brain and may point to possible drug targets for human disorders characterized by speech disruption, such as autism and schizophrenia.   

 

Overview

The Administration and Training Core of the UCLA Center for Neurocognition and Emotion in Schizophrenia serves the daily administrative needs of the Center. This Core involves Dr. Nuechterlein as Center PI, four other UCLA faculty members who as Center Co-PIs (Drs. Asarnow, Cannon, Green, and Yee-Bradbury), and a full-time administrative analyst (Fe Asuan). Dr. Nuechterlein is ultimately responsible for the direction, administration, and fiscal management of the Center. Drs. Asarnow, Cannon, Green, and Yee-Bradbury play key administrative roles in the Center, aiding Dr. Nuechterlein in overall coordination activities and the major administrative and management tasks that require faculty involvement.

 

These faculty members also coordinate the research career development activities of the Center, including aiding in the recruitment of appropriate trainees for an existing NIMH-supported Training Grant, "Psychological Research on Schizophrenic Conditions."

 

The pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees supported by these Training Grants (PI: K. Nuechterlein) are encouraged to pursue translational behavioral research through affiliation with this Center.

Director/Instructor(s): 
Keith Nuechterlein

Schizophrenia Clinic

This program provides specialized avalutation and treatment for individuals with Schizophrenia and related disorders or sysptoms, such as psychotic behavior, auditory or visual hallucinations, incoherence, delusional, and paranoia. Visit the Section on Psychosis website for useful reference information.

UCLA collaboration identifies immune system link to schizophrenia

Disruptions also found in cellular pathways involved in memory and cognition

 

Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disease, thought to be caused by the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors. Because there is no biochemical test that can identify the disorder, physicians rely upon the recognition of its symptoms — which can include auditory hallucinations and paranoia — in order to make their diagnosis.

 

Alterations in brain's white matter key to schizophrenia

White matter 'integrity' may be predictive of functional outcome

Schizophrenia, a chronic and debilitating disorder marked in part by auditory hallucinations and paranoia, can strike in late adolescence or early adulthood at a time when people are ready to stand on their own two feet as fully independent adults.
 
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Section on Psychosis

The goal of the Section on Psychosis is to improve the lives of people with psychotic illnesses (including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder) through a multi-disciplinary program that includes research, education, and clinical care.   We are convinced that the care of individuals with these illnesses should be guided by the best evidence from research.  Since psychotic illnesses are caused by disordered functioning of the brain, we also believe that research focused on the brain will lead to better treatments.

Clinical research programs in the Section on Psychosis are available for a broad range of individuals including patients who are at high risk for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and those with early signs, patients recently diagnosed with these illnesses, and patients who have lived with these illnesses for years.   

Director: 
Stephen Marder
Improve the lives of people with psychotic illnesses through a multi-disciplinary program that includes research, education, and clinical care

New candidate genes for schizophrenia identified

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disease characterized by disorganized behavior, delusions and hallucinations. Sadly, there is no clear understanding of its cause. Now, in a collaborative study, UCLA and Dutch researchers have identified three new candidate genes for schizophrenia that may contribute to a better understanding of how the disease evolves.

 

UCLA Scientist Awarded $3.8 Million Grant for International Study to Identify Genetic Links to Schizophrenia

The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded Roel A. Ophoff, Ph.D., assistant professor of human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, a $3.8 million grant to lead a four-year genetic study of schizophrenia in collaboration with scientists from the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht in the Netherlands.