In the news: New insight into schizophrenia

Robarts scientist Dr. Lena Palaniyappan has shown that, with proper therapy, the brains of patients with schizophrenia may have the capacity to fight back against the illness.

Working with a global team of researchers, Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, also an associate professor with the Departments of Psychiatry and Medical Biophysics at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and scientist with Lawson Health Research Institute, has shown that though those with schizophrenia experience a loss in brain volume, especially in parts that deal with higher cognitive powers, those same people have more matter than do healthy patients in the parts of the brain that perceive sight and sound.

“Our results highlight that despite the severity of tissue damage, the brain of a patient with schizophrenia is constantly attempting to reorganize itself, possibly to rescue itself or limit the damage,” he said Monday. “To our surprise, the increase was significant.”

Read more about these findings in Forbes and the London Free Press.