Viagra, the turn on for millions of men with sex problems, may also be able to turn off the hallucinations of schizophrenia.
Viagra causes an erection by turning off a particular enzyme in the body that’s a member of a group of enzymes called phosphodiesterases. Scientists believe that similar enzymes in the brain are linked to mental illnesses including schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder. Turning off the enzymes could quiet the hallucinations associated with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia normally strikes those in their teens to late 20s and may affect as many as 1 percent of the population. It causes its victims to hallucinate, hear voices, and feel frightened. Leading a normal life is all but impossible.
Scientists believe it may be caused by an inability of the brain to filter out background noises, like the humming of lights. The overload of stimuli causes the brain to create a story which leads to paranoia and hallucinations. Turning off the enzymes that control the transmission of signals between brain cells may decrease the stimulation that causes sensory overload.
Although drugs are available to treat the disease, few new effective treatments have entered the market in the past 50 years, and 74 percent stop treatment within 18 months because of side effects which include lethargy and weight gain.
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