Pleasant and Unpleasant Odor Identification Ability is Associated with Distinct Dimensions of Negative Symptoms across Multiple Psychotic Disorders

Sydney Giron ’26 The olfactory system is involved in ingestive behavior, awareness of environmental hazards, and social interactions. Olfactory function has been used as both a diagnostic and prognostic marker for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Previous studies suggest an association between olfactory impairments and negative symptoms that are associated with psychotic disorders. These symptoms include avolition, which is a lack of motivation and alogia, which … Continue reading Pleasant and Unpleasant Odor Identification Ability is Associated with Distinct Dimensions of Negative Symptoms across Multiple Psychotic Disorders

Antipsychotics May Increase Risk of Dementia in Schizophrenic Patients

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by disorganized behavior, lack of emotional expression, and thoughts and experiences dissociated from reality. Patients who present such symptoms have elevated levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ hormone responsible for mediating pleasure and stimulating neurons to carry out vital functions like concentration and motor control. Patients with schizophrenia are prescribed antipsychotic medications, which block binding … Continue reading Antipsychotics May Increase Risk of Dementia in Schizophrenic Patients

Perception of Emotion in Psychotic Disorders

Wendy Wu ’22 Schizophrenia, a severe mental disorder that alters perception of reality, is marked by deficits in emotional face perception (EFP). While previous research has shown how abnormal activity in certain brain regions correlates with EFP deficits, the significance of the connections between these regions has been understudied. Amri Sabharwal, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at Stony Brook University, focused on the amygdala, a … Continue reading Perception of Emotion in Psychotic Disorders

Cannabis Use and the Course of Schizophrenia: 10-year Follow-Up After First Hospitalization

Thumyat Noe ’23 The relationship between cannabis use and course of schizophrenia have been extensively studied by researchers, as increased consumption of cannabis is often observed in individuals with schizophrenia. For the most part, results of these studies have been inconclusive. Some studies have reported that cannabis use is associated with less severe negative symptoms of schizophrenia, while other studies have suggested that cannabis users … Continue reading Cannabis Use and the Course of Schizophrenia: 10-year Follow-Up After First Hospitalization

Psychosis from schizophrenia can lead to social isolation

Joyce Chen ‘23 As humans, we are able to distinguish between what is real and what is not. But sometimes, the lines between reality and fantasy can get blurred. Psychosis is a mental condition where an individual loses his or her sense of perception due to an impairment in thought, resulting in a loss of connection with reality. Untreated psychosis has been theorized to be … Continue reading Psychosis from schizophrenia can lead to social isolation

Psychosis from schizophrenia can lead to social isolation

Joyce Chen ‘23 As humans, we are able to distinguish between what is real and what is not. But sometimes, the lines between reality and fantasy can get blurred. Psychosis is a mental condition where an individual loses his or her sense of perception due to an impairment in thought, resulting in a loss of connection with reality. Untreated psychosis has been theorized to be … Continue reading Psychosis from schizophrenia can lead to social isolation

A Case Study Examining the Effectiveness of Ginkgo Biloba in Treating Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenic Individuals

Stephanie Budhan ‘21 Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that affects an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and causes the individual to gradually deteriorate over time. Doctors often overlook cognitive impairment within schizophrenic individuals. There is no proven treatment option, but this has led psychiatrists to provide medications with the cognitive aspect in mind; Currently, medications that contain compounds to improve mitochondrial functioning, have anti-oxidant … Continue reading A Case Study Examining the Effectiveness of Ginkgo Biloba in Treating Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenic Individuals

The Pathology of Schizophrenia: Action-Outcome Learning Impairments

By Maryna Mullerman ‘20 Schizophrenia is often associated with disconnections between thoughts and actions, as well as slow acquisition of adaptive behavior. Doctor Richard W. Morris and researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia wanted to establish whether schizophrenia (SZ) patients could distinguish causal consequences from reward values. The researchers aimed to reveal action-outcome (AO) learning impairments in SZ patients. The analysis … Continue reading The Pathology of Schizophrenia: Action-Outcome Learning Impairments