For nearly 50 years, a theory has lingered in the background of psychiatric research: that the human body might naturally produce a molecule capable of slowing down a brain enzyme linked to hallucinations.
Researchers in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy are revisiting that forgotten science. Their goal is to identify and characterize a natural “brake pedal” in the brain — one that could open the door to a new class of drugs for treating schizophrenia.
“Schizophrenia remains one of the most difficult psychiatric disorders to treat, because there are few medications to effectively control hallucinations and delusions,” said Chris McCurdy, Ph.D., FAAPS, the Frank A. Duckworth Eminent Scholar Chair and associate dean for faculty development in the UF College of Pharmacy. “It’s like the brain is in overdrive with no way to tap the brakes, and that is what most patients face.”
Read more about The Brain’s Brake Pedal.
