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2024: The number of children with schizophrenia in Russia increased by 6.5%
The number of children diagnosed with schizophrenia in Russia has increased by 6.5% since 2000. This was reported by the Ministry of Health of Russia in September 2024, announcing updated clinical recommendations for the treatment of this disease in minors. The introduction of new standards will begin in 2025 and will include a clearer gradation of the signs of schizophrenia, which will allow more accurate diagnosis and treatment of this disorder in children.
According to GxP News, schizophrenia as a whole affects from 0.3% to 0.7% of the world's population, which is about 20-30 million people. Among patients diagnosed in childhood, the number of cases ranges from 1% to 4%, depending on the sources. In Russia, there is an increase in the number of cases among children, which forced specialists to reconsider the existing approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
One of the main reasons for the increase in the number of children with schizophrenia is the improvement of diagnostic methods. In large cities where access to health services is more developed, the percentage of cases identified may be lower, as diagnosis is challenging. Tatyana Solomatina, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection, noted that by 2000 most of the standards in the field of psychiatry had been revised, which contributed to a change in the situation with the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia.
Solomatina also stressed that the situation with the children's psyche is inextricably linked with social factors. The influence of external stresses, such as a tense family environment and a lack of attention to the child, can accelerate the development of mental disorders, such as schizophrenia.
In addition, the new clinical recommendations of the Russian Ministry of Health include five groups of signs of schizophrenia, which will allow doctors to more accurately determine the stages and forms of the disease. This innovation is aimed at improving the quality of medical care for children with this diagnosis.[1]
2023: Development of schizophrenia linked to maternal vitamin D levels
On May 24, 2023, Australian neuroscientists from the University of Queensland published the results of a study suggesting that the development of schizophrenia is associated with maternal vitamin D levels.
Schizophrenia is thought to develop as a result of a combination of genetic causes and environmental factors. The exact mechanism of appearance of this mental disorder is unknown, but there is evidence that this condition is associated with the work of brain cells that produce dopamine - a chemical that ensures well-being. In a new study, Australian experts have examined the link between vitamin D in the mother, dopaminergic neurons and schizophrenia. Molecular imaging technology was used for this.
Scientists have created dopamine-like neurons to reproduce the differentiation process that is observed during embryo development. Neurons were cultured with and without the hormone calcitriol. Vitamin D supplied with food is inactive until it undergoes two enzymatic reactions in the body: one of them occurs in the kidneys, where the substance is converted into calcitriol - its active form. Calcitriol then binds to the vitamin D receptor and activates it in the cell nucleus.
The researchers found that vitamin D not only affects cell differentiation, but also the structure of neurons. As a result, the dopamine release process changes. Using a new FFN imaging tool (False Fluorescent Neurotransmitters), the researchers were able to analyze how dopamine uptake and release changed in the presence or absence of calcitriol. It turned out that dopamine release was enhanced in neurons grown with calcitriol.
 | This is strong evidence that vitamin D affects the structural differentiation of dopaminergic neurons, "said Darryl Eyles, one of the authors of the work.[2] |  |
2022: In Russia, they learned to diagnose schizophrenia from human blood
Russia They learned to diagnose schizophrenia from human blood, which became known in mid-September 2022. Scientists of the Research Institute of Mental Health of the Tomsk National Research Medical Center RAS and their Moscow colleagues found proteins in the serum blood of people suffering from schizophrenia that can become biological markers for the timely diagnosis of this disease.
According to the publication, scientists analyzed the blood serum of patients suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder (BAR) and healthy people. All patients with mental disorders were hospitalized in the exacerbation stage and have not yet begun to undergo treatment.
It is noted that in modern medical practice, the psychiatrist makes a conclusion about the diagnosis solely on the basis of the clinical picture and his experience, analysis for schizophrenia by September 2022 does not exist.
According to Lyudmila Smirnova, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the Research Institute of Mental Health, TNIMC RAS, measuring the amount of these proteins by ELISA, which is available in most medical laboratories, can already help doctors diagnose schizophrenia and understand the severity of the disease.
According TASS to the head of scientific work, Professor Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology Philip Haitovich, his team is also developing a method for diagnosing schizophrenia by the content of special marker compounds in blood plasma. The new method is based on a comprehensive analysis of the patient's blood plasma, which takes into account the content and amount of chemical compounds that signal the disease. The authors of the work were able to identify such markers by finding an association between plasma composition and the nature of metabolic changes in the human brain accompanying the development of the disease.[3]
Long-term posture preservation
Pathologically long-term preservation of the attached pose. It is usually observed in some forms of schizophrenia.
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