Schizophrenia symptoms linked to faulty ’switch’ in brain

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have shown that psychotic symptoms experienced by people with schizophrenia could be caused by a faulty 'switch' within the brain. In a study published today in the leading journal Neuron , they have demonstrated that the severity of symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations which are typical in patients with the psychiatric disorder is caused by a disconnection between two important regions in the brain — the insula and the lateral frontal cortex. The breakthrough, say the academics, could form the basis for better, more targeted treatments for schizophrenia with fewer side effects. The four-year study, led by Professor Peter Liddle and Dr Lena Palaniyappan in the University's Division of Psychiatry and based in the Institute of Mental Health , centred on the insula region, a segregated 'island' buried deep within the brain, which is responsible for seamless switching between inner and outer world. "Powerful explanation". Dr Lena Palaniyappan, a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow, said: "In our daily life, we constantly switch between our inner, private world and the outer, objective world. This switching action is enabled by the connections between the insula and frontal cortex.