SCHIZOPHRENIA

The Effects of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) on Surround Suppression in Schizophrenia



Abstract

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder which ceases the development of brain. Hallucinations, disheveled appearance and attitude and abnormal emotional behavior are some of its symptoms. Gamma-Amino Butyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid in the central nervous system. It is a neurotransmitter which restricts the nerve transmission in the brain. This paper presents a literature review on the topic, the effects of GABA (gamma Aminobutyric acid) on Surround suppression in schizophrenia. Details of different studies conducted by the scientists related to the topic are summarized along with a brief overview of the results. Moreover, a succinct critical analysis has been provided in the end to relate the literature review with the research statement.

Table of Contents

Abstractii

Introduction1

Literature Review2

Functional Consequences of Neurocognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia by Green2

Physiologic Dysfunction in Schizophrenia by Weinberger3

Working Memory by Goldman4

Prefrontal Cortex of Schizophrenics by Akbarian5

Molecular Characterization of Schizophrenia by Middleton5

Neocortical Inhibitory System By Markram7

Interneurons Unbound by Mcbain and Fisahn8

GABA Neurons in the Prefrontal Cortex of Schizophrenia by Hashimoto8

Reciprocal Alterations in Schizophrenia by Volk9

Gamma Oscillations by Howard10

Synchronization of Neuronal Activity by Cobb11

Cortical Inhibitory Neurons by Volk, Hashimoto and Lewis12

GABA And Schizophrenia by Phddagger12

GABA Concentration and Surround Suppression by Yoon13

Cognitive Defect in Schizophrenia by Treichel14

Critical Review15

Conclusion16

References17

The Effects of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) on Surround Suppression in Schizophrenia

Introduction

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder that affects the lives of about two percent of people in the world. Individuals between the age of 25 and 35 have a high proportion among the schizophrenic patients. Several reasons are attributed to this illness, though the specific answer to the question is still under debate. Scientists have said it to be a mixture of factors which includes early brain damage, genetic make-up, and pre-natal viruses, which leads to neurotransmitter effects to the brain. Hallucinations, disordered thinking, delusions, and unusual speech or behavior are some of the symptoms of the disorder. There is no accurate treatment for the illness, although several treatments have been proposed. Five percent of the proposed curing treatments have been successful so far. The highly preferred and effective treatment is the administration of antipsychotic medicines.

Magnetic Resonance Imagery (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) are the tools applied for measuring the intensity of correlation. The different areas of affected brains were observed and evaluated against the normal brains, indicating various structural differences. The most common result was the enlargement of the lateral ventricles, which are the liquid filled packets surrounding the brain.

The review on the article in the body of the paper presents evidences of the fact that schizophrenia is affected by the gamma Aminobutyric acid (GABA). It is an amino acid that affects the normal functioning of the central nervous system. The intensity of the impact and related studies are elaborated.

Literature Review

The effect of GABA on surround suppression in schizophrenia has attracted significant amount of research in the field of neuropsychology. Numerous theories and neuroscience literature is presented by the medical specialists and ...