Evening star., 1952-01-16
sehizophrenio Believed
Adrenol GIond Disorder
Hooglond Reports on Studies
Of Bizorre Mentul Molody
By Thomus R. Henry

tf -
Schizophrenia, most prevalent. biz
zarre and obstinate or mind maladies.
may be an adrenal gland disorder.
A good lead IA this direction has Just
been reported 10 the Once Of Naval
neseaFch here By Dr. Hudson Hoagland
OF the Worcester Foundation for Ex-
peEimental Biology. who has been work.
ing under Navy contract.
Schi10phreu1c patients have been
found, he says, 10 excrete aA unidentified
material similar, II not identical, to
one released in excess by persons with
malignant tumors Of the adrenals which
have been reported to produce q con-
dition tndistinguishabl from this dis
ease. This substance Is steroid, chemi-
cally similar to cortisone.
Cases similar to Schizophrenia also
have been reported. DR.. Hoagland says,
in persons given heavy doses Of ACTH,
hormone Of the pituitary gland whose
function n TO stimulate the adrenals.
In these cases the normal output of the
adrenals ts increased. Presumably the
substance peculiar 10 schizophrenies is
secreted by everybody but occasionally
gets badly out Of balance with the other
Is steroidS tthe purpose Of most Of
whic his unknoWn) which are produced
by the adrenals. The immediate problem
Is to find some means Of restoring the
balance.
Modify Nerves "Timing."
Work in the Worcester laboratory, DR..
Hoagland says. has shown that some Of
the adrenal hormones considerably mod
Hy the timing Of the nervous system. It
takes longer to excite the sciatic nerve
Of rats after removal Of these glands.
It also requires longer for nerve im-
pulses to move across the synapses, the
gaps between nerve endingS.
Brain waves Of rats are considerably
slowed after removal Of the adrenalS.
They are restored TO normal frequencies
when various adrenal hormones are ad-
ministered. Probably the most effective
treatment Of schizophrenia now EN-.
ployed Is electric shock. Many tempo
rary and some permanent cures have
been reported. The more normal the,
adrenal output DR.. Hoagland says, the
better the prospects for electric shock
treatment.
The adrenals normally respond with
increased hormone output to various
stresses Of life. as well as to administra-
tion Of ACTH. The researches at the
Worcester Foundation have shown that
this response Is quite inadequate In
schizophrenia victims.
U1trasound waves have furnished the
first lead to the basic chemistry Of sex.
This has just been reported to the
American Genetic Association here by
Drs. G. Yasazumi and A. Kondo Of
Osaka University, Japan.
Sex is determined by special chromo-
somes, bundles of genes which are the
units Of heredity, found in the germ
cells Of both plants and animals. The
differences between male and female
chromosomes are well known but hither.
to there has been no clue as to how
these chromosomes differ from others.
Some subtle chemical difference has
been suspected, the development Of
which must be considered one of the
major advances in the evolution of life
on earth.
,ass'z. Only . Pioneer Step.
q: The two Japanese scientists worked
with the chromosomes of fruit flies, the
organisms now most commonly used in
studies Of basic principles of heredity.
When these were placed in the path Of
very high frequency sound waves, they
found, the sex-determining chrome.
somes became badly stretched while
other chromosomes were not. The
stretching, they found, occurred in those
parts of the chromosomes which are
stringlike structures. between the bead
like genes.
This. they point out, is only a pioneer
step. It proves. for the first time, that
the sex chromosomes have different
physico-chemical structure than the
other carriers Of heredity in the germ
cells. The next move, presumably ex.
tremely laborious and me-consuming.
will be to determine what accounts for
such a pronounced difference in the
sensitfvity to sound.