Investigation of the neuropathological background of psychiatric symptoms in elderly

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K10294
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Iritani Shuji 名古屋大学, 医学系研究科, 特任教授 (60191904)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 臨床精神医学 / 神経病理 / 死後脳研究

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study is to research the postmortem brain pathology for various psychiatric symptoms including deterioration of cognitive function in elderly using neuropathological methods and examine their pathophysiology. Focusing on schizophrenic patients that developed at a young age, it has been revealed that there is a lack of pathological findings that can explain clinical symptoms in a group of cases with marked cognitive decline similar to dementia with aging. This observation has been thought to suggest the fragility of the brain and the decrease in reserve function due to this disease.This result would provide useful suggestion for the treatment and care of schizophrenia in old age. Besides, we investigated the brain pathology of schizophrenia with a clear genetic background, and found some new findings in brain tissue in this disease. It provided useful findings for elucidating the etiology.

Free Research Field

臨床精神医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、統合失調症の病因病態を脳組織から明らかにしたものである。従前から、統合失調症などのいわゆる内因性精神疾患の病因病態はいまだ十分に解明されていないが、今回は疾患死後脳から、この疾患の脳の脆弱性や認知機能の予備能低下が示唆された。このことは、統合失調症の患者で、とくに高齢化した時の治療戦略において、認知機能に焦点をあててケアーが必要であることを示している。精神疾患は、国の医療計画の「5大疾患」に含まれておりその治療やケアーは喫緊の課題であり、その意味から、今回の結果は治療戦略上社会的に大きく貢献するものと考える。