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Hereditary schizophrenia and disease control
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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If there are cases of schizophrenia in the family, then the disease may develop in future generations. Scientists have announced the possibility of preventing hereditary pathology in adolescents in the near future.
Specialists representing the Brazilian Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP) have already studied the effect of the new drug on young rodents that had changes in behavioral skills similar to schizophrenia. The new drug is based on the compound sodium nitroprusside.
Schizophrenia is characterized in most cases by auditory pseudohallucinations, speech and thought disorders: it is clear that it is almost impossible to notice such symptoms in rodents. But during hallucinations typical for schizophrenia, the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine always increases. Rodents react to the increase in this level with sharp and chaotic motor activity. Scientists consider such a behavioral feature to be an animal "analogue" of certain schizophrenic signs that are found in humans.
The sodium nitroprusside compound was not used for medicinal purposes by chance: it is easily transformed into nitrogen monoxide, which has many physiological properties. For example, this substance is involved in the transmission of signals between neurons, i.e., it functions as a neurotransmitter. In patients suffering from schizophrenia, there is a destruction of contacts between nerve cells. In their study, the scientists set out to determine whether this destruction could be prevented with the help of nitroprusside.
The experiment consisted of two treatment regimens: adult rodents received a single injection of nitroprusside, while younger individuals were given a new dose of the drug every day. Based on the results, scientists noted that long-term and regular administration, which was practiced in relation to young animals, successfully prevented the development of behavioral disorders, the appearance of which was considered inevitable.
It is necessary to clarify here: the sodium nitroprusside compound is currently actively used to treat severe schizophrenic disorders, with the aim of weakening individual symptoms of the disease. The scientists' work was aimed at solving another issue. They needed to find out whether the drug is suitable for prophylactic use in young individuals who do not yet suffer from schizophrenia, but have hereditary data for the further development of the disease. Since the tests were conducted on rodents, further experiments will be conducted with the participation of people. Specialists hope that their work will only confirm the initial assumptions about the prophylactic activity of nitroprusside. It is very important that people who are at risk for hereditary schizophrenia can live without fear for their mental health.
The article is published on the Cns Neuroscience & Therapeutics page (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cns.12852).
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