The Friedman Brain Institute Fall 2022
Report Welcome From the Director:
Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders are among the top 10 causes of disability worldwide, yet the diagnosis and treatment of these illnesses have changed little since I was a resident in psychiatry more than three decades ago.
The absence of pathognomonic (diagnostic) anatomical abnormalities to define schizophrenia, the lack of access to the brains of people with schizophrenia, and the inability to access core symptoms of the illness (for example, hallucinations, delusions, abnormal thinking) in animal or cell models have long stymied progress in the field. Yet, we are encouraged by recent advances—which we highlight in this newsletter—and believe that, for the first time, there is good reason for optimism.