Schizophrenia
Head: Dr. Shitj Kapur
Early Intervention in Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is recognized as a serious mental illness -- a single episode
of psychosis can have a significant impact on a person's life. We are
continuing our initiative to prevent psychotic episodes in individuals
showing early signs of the illness, by offering them low-dose drug treatment
and supportive therapy.
New Community-Based
First Episode Team
Early intervention and supportive therapy for our clients and their families
will be enhanced through the services of a newly created Mobile First
Episode Team. The team will respond to community hospital and physician
referrals by visiting the clients in Emergency units or in the clients'
homes. Best practices will be studied in the areas of treatment, education,
support and outcomes.
Why Do We Give Antipsychotics
Every Day?
It is common practice to treat psychiatric illness with an oral medication
every day. However, our brain imaging studies have shown that the effects
of antipsychotics in the brain last much longer than their effects in
the blood. This research raises questions whether daily dosing is the
optimal frequency for antipsychotic medications. We have begun our attempts
to determine "smarter" dosing regimens with a pilot study of
people who receive their medications every other day for three months,
then every three days for three months.
VCFs as a Clue to Schizophrenia
Velo-cardio-facial syndrome is a mental illness, with a known genetic
defect, that presents with schizophrenia-like picture. Projects under
way in the program are expanding to examine the genetic basis of the illness
and to establish how these genetic changes express themselves in psychosis.
Psychosocial Interventions
to Enhance Outcome
Schizophrenia is a complex illness demanding comprehensive treatment.
While medications help treat some aspects of the illness, our clients
benefit from other help to facilitate and support their recovery. But
what constitutes effective help? Because many factors influence treatment
response, in the area of psychosocial interventions we are trying to determine
if brief, targeted education for patients and families improves quality
of life and treatment adherence and, in turn, if this influences outcome.
We have begun a pilot study to develop intervention protocols to enhance
motivation and are conducting a study comparing psychoeducation to activity-oriented
groups.
What Makes Clozapine Unique?
Clozapine has provided a treatment option relatively free of such side-effects
as movement disorders or elevated prolactin levels, for those persons
who have not responded to other antipsychotics. Where does the unique
action of clozapine lay? Through PET imaging, we are comparing clozapine
with other atypical antipsychotics, in hopes of detecting a distinct action
of clozapine at the dopamine receptor sites.
Magnetic Stimulation
to Study Brain Defects in Schizophrenia
Projects using magnetic stimulation techniques are attempting to explore
how the connectivity of different brain regions may be impaired in schizophrenia.
These studies will shed new light on the altered signalling between the
regions of the brain in patients
with schizophrenia.
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