Health

There’s hope that a dietary supplement could reduce some of the worst symptoms of schizophrenia.
Betaine—which is already being used as a treatment for homocystinuria, a metabolic disease—could also prove to be a safe and natural therapy for schizophrenia.

Tests with the supplement have so far been carried out only on laboratory mice and although the results have been positive, researchers from the University of Tokyo say they can’t be sure that similar reactions would be seen in people.

There’s no effective drug for the condition and the pharmaceuticals that are being used come with a range of side effects, said lead researcher Nobutaka Hirokawa.

The supplement, which is derived from sugar beets, affects genes that have been linked to schizophrenia. Abnormalities in the kinesin family of genes are common among schizophrenics, as is another gene that synthesises betaine.

Mice that have the genetic abnormality show signs of schizophrenia, including poor social interaction and an exaggerated reaction to a sudden loud noise. But the same mice that were fed a diet that contained three times the usual amount of betaine had normal behaviour.

The researchers aren’t sure just how betaine works but they know it prevents chemical damage that causes the genetic dysfunction linked to schizophrenic symptoms. By blocking the damaging process, betaine allows kinesin genes to perform healthily. “We know that the amount of betaine decreases in schizophrenics’ brains, so this study strongly suggests betaine could be therapeutic for at least some kinds of schizophrenia,” said Hirokawa.

(Source: Cell Reports, 2021; 35: 108971)

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