Study: Schizophrenia is price of evolution

Published: Aug. 4, 2008 at 7:05 PM

LEIPZIG, Germany, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- British, German and Chinese researchers say they've determined schizophrenia is an unfortunate consequence of the rapid evolution of the human brain.

The researchers, led by Philipp Khaitovich of the Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the Shanghai branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, examined the brains of humans with and without schizophrenia and compared them with chimpanzee and rhesus macaque brains.

Khaitovich said the scientists searched for differences in metabolite concentrations and the expression of genetic instructions in order to identify "molecular mechanisms involved in the evolution of human cognitive abilities."

He said they found the genes and metabolites altered in schizophrenia, especially those related to energy metabolism, are those that rapidly changed during evolution.

"Our new research suggests schizophrenia is a by-product of the increased metabolic demands brought about during human brain evolution. Our brains are unique among all species in their enormous metabolic demand. If we can explain how our brains sustain such a tremendous metabolic flow, we will have a much better chance to understand how the brain works and why it sometimes breaks," he added.

The study appears in the journal Genome Biology.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
MLS: Los Angeles 2, Houston 0 (OT) (41 min)
Your Daily Horoscope
The almanac
NBA: Denver 105, LA Lakers 79
NBA: Sacramento 109, Houston 100
COL BKB: Georgetown 74, Tulane 58
NBA: Atlanta 97, Boston 86
fark
Middle school teacher resigns job she held for 22 years, after she's caught stealing small amounts...
But honestly, who amongst us hasn't mistaken a uniformed police officer for a Sonic drive-through...
Creepy weatherman leaves around 100 voicemails to girl he just met. Wonders why she won't call him...
Man charged with battery, grand theft, exhibition of a deadly weapon and a possible hate crime for...
Comic books are doing surprisingly well even when big-boy books are struggling
Commissioners strip the Las Vegas Strip of the Stripper Mobile. Won't someone please think of the...