Schizophrenia: a biochemical disorder?

There is evidence that schizophrenia may be related to excess biological activity of dopamine, deficient synthesis of a prostaglandin and to the presence of a normal opioid in excess or of an abnormal opioid. These three groups of observations seem to be interrelated since opioids are able to inhibit the formation of prostaglandin E1 and prostaglandin E1 and dopamine inhibit each other's effects. A low prostaglandin E1 level will therefore produce and apparent dopamine excess. Niacin causes flushing, apparently by stimulating production of prostaglandin E1. Much larger doses of oral niacin are required to produce flushing in schizophrenics than in normal individuals. Most schizophrenics do not flush when given 250 mg orally and this may be a simple biochemically-based test for a major group of schizophrenics.