The bacteria and viruses that naturally reside in a person’s throat have been confirmed to have a link to whether or not a given individual will be schizophrenic. The study conducted by Dr. Eduardo Castro-Nallar and Keith Crandall of George Washington University adds weight to the growing body of evidence that the bacteria and viruses that inhabit the throat as well as other parts of the body have an impact on mental health.
The bacteria and viruses that normally live in the throats of most people provide a first line of defense against disease. The researchers found a noticeable difference in the type of bacteria and viruses that live in the throats of people that have schizophrenia and those that are not schizophrenic. The difference was significant enough and repetitive enough to indicate the potential for controlling schizophrenia by changing the types of bacteria and viruses that live in a person’s throat.
The bacteria and viruses that inhabit a person’s throat are part of the body’s immune system. Changes in the immune system have been linked to changes in the brain that can lead to mental illness by several studies that were not related to Castro-Nallar’s work directly. While not yet demonstrated, the potential exists that schizophrenic episodes may be triggered by a change in the population of bacteria and viruses in the throat. The researchers are attempting to prove a cause and effect mechanism so that schizophrenia can be controlled more readily and easily.
