Schizophrenia

Question 1

What is schizophrenia?

Answer 1

Schizophrenia is a mental illness affecting thoughts, emotions, and behavior, often classified as a type of psychosis.

Question 2

What are the key symptoms required for a schizophrenia diagnosis?

Answer 2

At least two symptoms for six months, including one core symptom:

• Delusions
• Hallucinations
• Disorganized speech
• Catatonic behavior
• Reduced emotional expression

Question 3

What is the global impact of schizophrenia?

Answer 3

Affects over 20 million people worldwide.
Ranked among the top 10 most debilitating disorders.
Estimated economic burden in the UK: £3.7 billion by 2026.

Question 4

What mechanisms contribute to schizophrenia?

Answer 4

Genetics: Elevated risk due to genetic vulnerability.
Inflammation: Increased markers (e.g., IL-6, IL-8) disrupt dopamine and glutamate, causing motivational deficits and negative symptoms.

Question 5

What role does inflammation play in schizophrenia?

Answer 5

Elevated IL-6, IL-8 levels observed.
Astrocyte dysfunction modeled using iPSCs.
TNF, IL-1, IL-6 stimulate C-reactive protein, altering dopamine and glutamate pathways.

Question 6

How does exercise benefit individuals with schizophrenia?

Answer 6

Exercise improves symptoms, cognition, and quality of life, while promoting brain health, especially in the hippocampus. (Girdler et al, 2019)

Question 7

What were the findings of the Fisher et al. (2020) case study?

Answer 7

• High exercise attendance (80%).
• Reduction in positive symptoms.
• Maintained or improved health markers.

Question 8

Describe the intervention used in Dunleavy et al. (2022) case study.

Answer 8

• 6 weeks of physical activity exceeding 150 minutes per week.
• Exercise intensity above 50-70% HRmax.

Question 9

What were the key findings from Dunleavy et al. (2022)?

Answer 9

• Reduction in IL-6 concentrations.
• Increases in IL-8, IL-10, BDNF.
• Reduced negative symptoms.
• Improved quality of life and cognition.

Question 10

How do antipsychotic drugs work?

Answer 10

By blocking dopamine receptors to regulate dopaminergic transmission, reducing positive symptoms.

Question 11

What are the limitations of antipsychotic drugs?

Answer 11

They do not address negative symptoms and can induce health problems like MetS and CVD.