The 3rd Schizophrenia International Research Society Conference, 14-18 April 2012, Florence, Italy: summaries of oral sessions

Schizophrenia: a Narrative Review of Etiological and Diagnostic Issues

BACKGROUND

Despite the fact that schizophrenia has already been described historically and researched for a long time, this disorder remains unclear and controversial in many respects, including its etiology, pathogenesis, classification, diagnosis, and therapy.

METHODS

Literature from the selected sources (elibrary.ru, Russian Science Citation Index and the Russian branch of the Cochrane Library) were searched and analyzed using the diachronic method. Priority was given to reviews, guidelines, and original research on schizophrenia written during the past 10 years.

RESULTS

Historically, scientists have described schizophrenia as a single disorder, a group of disorders, or even as a combination of certain syndromes. The polymorphic symptoms and the most typical dynamics of various forms of schizophrenia have been systematized, but neither in Russia nor in other countries have the etiology and pathogenesis been proven. The reasons for the under- and overdiagnosis of schizophrenia cannot cover all possible objective and subjective difficulties arising in the diagnostic process.

CONCLUSION

The existing literature shows that the problem of schizophrenia may not be regarded as settled for a long time. This largely depends on the position of society, the development of biological sciences, and the pathomorphosis of the disorder itself. Many aspects of schizophrenia can become clearer and less controversial with systematic studies based on previous data, as well as data obtained using new research methods.

Smartphone-based objective monitoring in bipolar disorder: status and considerations

In 2001, the WHO stated that: "The use of mobile and wireless technologies to support the achievement of health objectives (mHealth) has the potential to transform the face of health service delivery across the globe". Within mental health, interventions and monitoring systems for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been developed and used. The present paper presents the status and findings from studies using automatically generated objective smartphone data in the monitoring of bipolar disorder, and addresses considerations on the current literature and methodological as well as clinical aspects to consider in the future studies.

The 4th Schizophrenia International Research Society Conference, 5-9 April 2014, Florence, Italy: a summary of topics and trends

The 4th Schizophrenia International Research Society Conference was held in Florence, Italy, April 5-9, 2014 and this year had as its emphasis, "Fostering Collaboration in Schizophrenia Research". Student travel awardees served as rapporteurs for each oral session, summarized the important contributions of each session and then each report was integrated into a final summary of data discussed at the entire conference by topic. It is hoped that by combining data from different presentations, patterns of interest will emerge and thus lead to new progress for the future. In addition, the following report provides an overview of the conference for those who were present, but could not participate in all sessions, and those who did not have the opportunity to attend, but who would be interested in an update on current investigations ongoing in the field of schizophrenia research.

Direct and indirect interactions of the dopamine D₃ receptor with glutamate pathways: implications for the treatment of schizophrenia

This article, based on original data as well as on previously reported preclinical and clinical data that are reviewed, describes direct and indirect interactions of the D(3) receptor with N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) signaling and their functional consequences and therapeutic implications for schizophrenia. D(3) receptor immunoreactivity at ultrastructural level with electron microscopy was identified at presumably glutamatergic, asymmetric synapses of the medium-sized spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens. This finding supports the existence of a direct interaction of the D(3) receptor with glutamate, in line with previously described interactions with NMDA signaling involving Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II at post-synaptic densities (Liu et al. 2009). Indirect interactions of the D(3) receptor with glutamate could involve a negative control exerted by the D(3) receptor on mesocortical dopamine neurons and the complex regulation of the glutamatergic pyramidal cells by dopamine in the prefrontal cortex. This could be exemplified here by the regulation of pyramidal cell activity in conditions of chronic NMDA receptor blockade with dizocilpine (MK-801). BP897, a D(3) receptor-selective partial agonist, reversed the dysregulation of cortical c-fos mRNA expression and pyramidal cell hyperexcitability, as measured by paired-pulse electrophysiology. At the behavioral level, blockade of the D(3) receptor, by known D(3) receptor antagonists or the novel D(3) receptor-selective antagonist F17141, produces antipsychotic-like effects in reversing hyperactivity and social interaction deficits induced by NMDA receptor blockade by MK-801 in mice. The glutamate-D(3) receptor interactions described here offer a conceptual framework for developing new D(3) receptor-selective drugs, which may appear as an original, efficacious, and safe way to potentially indirectly target glutamate in schizophrenia.