Scientists in Melbourne, Australia have discovered that 1 in 4 schizophrenics suffer because they have lost 80 per cent of a protein in their brain known as muscarinic M1 receptor. Doctor’s are hoping this distinction can help better diagnose patients and lead to more specific treatments.

Professor Dean and his team examined brain tissue from 154 deceased people during their research. The area of the brain most affected is the cortex, or surface, that is vital for rational thought, logic, long-term memory, learning speed and problem solving.

The scientists method included cutting brain tissue into very thin sections (14 thousands of a millimetre thick) and measuring the levels of the muscarinic M1 receptor using a radioactive drug that binds to the receptor.

The next phase will involve using neuro-imaging to attempt to identify living people with this form of schizophrenia.

“We have a huge task ahead of us to find out exactly what this (discovery) means. What we are hoping for is to come up with a marker to diagnose schizophrenia over the next two years.”