Schizophrenia test on the cards

2005-08-02 12:10

Sydney - Australian researchers reported progress on Tuesday in efforts to develop the first biological test to diagnose people suffering from schizophrenia.

The scientists at the University of New South Wales in Sydney said their research indicated that a test analysing the way people process sounds could permit far earlier diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia.

Psychiatrists currently rely on interviewing and observing patients in order to diagnose schizophrenia, a sometimes lengthy process that can delay treatment.

But one of the Australian researchers, associate professor of psychiatry Phillip Ward, said the new test could speed up the process significantly.

"There's now a lot of research evidence that suggests that if one can make a diagnosis early and start effective treatment early, then the overall long-term outcome is better," he said.

The Australians have found evidence of differences in brain wave patterns between healthy people and those with schizophrenia when forced to process sounds while performing a simple visual task.

"The test involves getting patients to listen to sounds whilst they perform a distracting visual task," Ward said.

"So the sounds are coming in pairs and there's a pattern that happens with normal healthy volunteers, which is disrupted with patients with schizophrenia," he said.

Ward said the research pointed the way to developing a reliable early test for schizophrenia using relatively low-cost electroencephalograph (EEG) brain scans, but added that more clinical tests were needed.

- AFP