The daily consumption of cannabis predisposes to the appearance of psychosis and schizophrenia, according to a study

The daily consumption of cannabis predisposes to the appearance of psychosis and schizophrenia, and those episodes of psychosis which are fruit of this substance present certain specific characteristics, both before their appearance and in the clinical presentation of the psychosis. This is one of the conclusions of the doctoral thesis “Neurodevelopment and environmental stress in initial psychosis: transversal analysis of the ESPIGAS study”, carried out by researcher Miguel Ruiz Veguilla, of the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Granada (Spain) and supervised by professors Manuel Gurpegui Fernández de Legaria and Jorge Cervilla Ballesteros. Ruiz Veguilla is also the person in charge fo the Unit of Development Neuropsychiatry of Jaén (Spain).

This work has studied the risk factors associated with schizophrenia, identifying and characterizing in depth those psychosis associated with a continual consumption of cannabis.  They carried out a study with 92 subjects, 50 of which had developed a psychosis without presenting signs of an “abnormal neurodevelopment”, this is, they had been doing well academically, they had a group of friends (no social isolation) and they presented a good motor coordination. In addition, these subjects did not show a family history of episodes of psychosis in first or second degree.

Identifying a new type of psychosis
The research work carried out by Miguel Ruiz Veguilla has identified a connection between cannabis consumption and psychosis in subjects with a good premorbid performance, and without signs of minor neurological alterations, which in his opinion might point out “a psychopathological way associated with psychosis in subjects with less predisposition”.

Thus, 66% of the patients with psychosis who participated in the study and had a normal neurodevelopment admitted to have consumed cannabis daily or almost every day, whereas 43% of the participants with markers of an abnormal neurodevelopment (those already indicated: bad previous social and academic behaviour, a family history and a “clumsier” attitude when they carry out tasks of motor coordination and complex motor acts) were drug users too.

In the light of the results of his doctoral thesis, the researcher of the University of Granada says that, after having identified a type of psychosis where the environmental factor plays a more relevant role, we should now answer the question of which is the prognosis, in the long term, of those subjects with a good previous behaviour, whose psychosis is associated with a high consumption of cannabis.

The results of this research work have been published in the journals “Schizophrenia Research” and “European Psychiatry”, two of the most renowned worldwide publications in this research field.

Reference:
Miguel Ruiz Veguilla.
Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Psychiatry of the University of Granada
Mobile: 678 660 010.
E-mail: mruizveguilla@yahoo.com


Cannibalistic Rattlesnakes Eat Dead Offspring

Cannibalistic Rattlesnakes Eat Dead Offspring

Every mom knows that pregnancy and birth really sap your energy. To get some back, many rattlesnake mothers will eat some of their non-surviving offspring, a new study finds.

This postpartum cannibalism helps the mother regain strength for her next reproductive effort, researchers report.

A lack of information on cannibalism in rattlesnakes prompted a group of Spanish, American and Mexican researchers to begin a study in 2004 that monitored cannibalistic behavior in 190 female pitvipers (Crotalus polystictus) found in central Mexico, where the species is endemic. The snakes had a combined total of 239 clutches of eggs over the study period.

The researchers found that on average, the mother snakes ate about 11 percent of their postpartum mass — particularly eggs and dead offspring — to regain energy.

«A cannibal rattlesnake female can recover lost energy for reproduction without having to hunt for food, a dangerous activity that requires time and expends a great deal of energy,» said Estrella Mociño and Kirk Setser, lead authors of the study and researchers at the University of Granada in Spain.

A wide variety of animals have been found to eat their offspring, including polar bears, burying beetles, hamsters, wolf spiders and a range of fish species. Scientists have looked for reasons why species might devour their genetic progeny.

The new study, detailed in the January 2009 issue of the journal Animal Behaviour, shows that cannibalism in this species is an evolutionary result of the snake\’s feeding behavior, since its prey is dead for some time before being eaten by the snake.

«Viperids in general are prepared to eat carrion, and for this reason it is not so strange that they consume the non-viable sections of their clutches after going through the great energy expenditure caused by reproduction,» Mociño said.

Mociño and his colleagues found that four factors influenced whether the mothers practiced cannibalism and how much they ate:

the day of the birth (females that give birth at the end of July are more likely to be cannibals, since they have less time to feed and prepare themselves to reproduce again);
the proportion of dead babies per clutch;
the level of maternal investment (the larger the brood, the greater the chance that it will contain non-viable elements, which she will eat);
and stress caused by being in captivity (the researchers maintained the females in captivity for an average of 21 days).
Of all the females, 68 percent consumed part or all of their dead offspring, and 83 percent of these ate them all, and waited little time to do so (around 16 hours), although some ate them «immediately after giving birth,» Mociño said. The rest (40 percent) of the females didn\’t eat any of their dead offspring.

The researchers said this cannibalism is not the same as parricide or infanticide since they\’re not eating live offspring, even though they look very similar to dead ones for the first two hours after emerging from their membranes. During the study, only one female ate live babies.

Crotalus polystictus is a «threatened species,» according to Mexican officials. Limited habitat, as well as agricultural and urban expansion are the main threats to the snake. The research was partially funded by T&E, Inc. and The Explorers Club.
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Philips y la Universidad distribuirán 50.000 bombillas de bajo consumo entre alumnos y profesores

Philips y la Universidad distribuirán 50.000 bombillas de bajo consumo entre alumnos y profesores

Philips y la Universidad de Granada tienen previsto repartir cerca de 50.000 bombillas de bajo consumo entre los miembros de esta comunidad universitaria en el marco de un acuerdo por el cual ambos organismos se comprometen a impulsar el uso de bombillas más eficientes.

El reparto de las bombillas se está llevando a cabo a lo largo de todo este mes de febrero, según señala Philips. Todos los interesados pueden comprar hasta 25 bombillas de bajo consumo por persona a la mitad de su precio habitual.

Este tipo de bombillas pueden llegar a disminuir el consumo de energía hasta en un 80 por ciento, lo que no sólo supone una disminución de emisiones de CO2 sino que también conlleva un importante ahorro económico y energético.
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Philips y la Universidad de Granada distribuirán 50.000 bombillas de bajo consumo entre alumnos y profesores

Philips y la Universidad de Granada distribuirán 50.000 bombillas de bajo consumo entre alumnos y profesores

Philips y la Universidad de Granada tienen previsto repartir cerca de 50.000 bombillas de bajo consumo entre los miembros de esta comunidad universitaria en el marco de un acuerdo por el cual ambos organismos se comprometen a impulsar el uso de bombillas más eficientes.

El reparto de las bombillas se está llevando a cabo a lo largo de todo este mes de febrero, según señala Philips en un comunicado. Todos los interesados pueden comprar hasta 25 bombillas de bajo consumo por persona a la mitad de su precio habitual.
Este tipo de bombillas pueden llegar a disminuir el consumo de energía hasta en un 80 por ciento, lo que no sólo supone una disminución de emisiones de CO2 sino que también conlleva un importante ahorro económico y energético.
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La consommation quotidienne de cannabis prédispose à l’apparition de psychose et de schizophrénie

La consommation quotidienne de cannabis prédispose à l’apparition de psychose et de schizophrénie, et les épisodes de psychose produits par cette substance présentent des caractéristiques spécifiques aussi bien avant leur apparition que lors de la présentation clinique d’une psychose. C’est une des conclusions de la thèse de doctorat « Neurodéveloppement et stress environnemental dans la psychose initiale : analyse transversale de l’Étude ESPIGAS », réalisée par le chercheur M. Miguel Ruiz Veguilla, de l’Institut de Neurosciences de l’Université de Grenade, et dirigée par les professeurs M. Manuel Gurpegui Fernández de Legaria et M. Jorge Cervilla Ballesteros. M. Ruiz Veguilla est également responsable de l’Unité de Neuropsychiatrie du Développement de Jaén.

Ce travail a étudié les facteurs de risque associés à la schizophrénie, tout en identifiant et en caractérisant en profondeur les psychoses associées à une consommation continue de cannabis. Pour cela, a été réalisée une recherche sur un échantillon de 92 patients, dont 50 avaient développé une psychose sans présenter de signes d’un « neurodéveloppement anormal », c’est-à-dire que leur rendement scolaire était bon, qu’ils avaient un groupe d’amis (pas d’isolement social) et présentaient de bonnes conditions motrices. De plus, ces sujets montraient à peine d’antécédents familiaux, de premier ou second degré, d’épisodes de psychose.

Identification d’un nouveau type de psychose
La recherche réalisée par M. Miguel Ruiz Veguilla a ainsi identifié une association entre la consommation de cannabis et la psychose chez des sujets présentant un bon rendement prémorbide, et sans signes d’altérations neurologiques mineures, ce qui à son avis pourrait signaler « une voie physiopathologique associée à la psychose chez des sujets présentant une prédisposition moindre ».

Ainsi, 66% des patients avec psychose ayant participé à l’étude et qui présentaient un neurodéveloppement normal reconnurent avoir consommé quotidiennement ou presque tous les jours du cannabis, tandis que 43% des participants présentant des marqueurs d’un neurodéveloppement anormal (déjà signalé : disfonctionnement social et académique préalable, antécédents dans la famille, gaucherie dans les tâches de coordination motrice et activités motrices complexes) consommaient également cette drogue.

À la lumière des résultats de sa thèse de doctorat, le chercheur de l’Université de Grenade affirme que, après avoir identifié un type de psychose dans lequel le facteur environnemental joue un rôle plus important, on devrait se poser maintenant des questions sur le pronostic à long terme des sujets présentant un bon fonctionnement préalable et dont la psychose est associée à une surconsommation de cannabis.

Les résultats de cette recherche ont été publiés dans la revue « Schizophrenia Research » et « European Psychiatry », deux publications parmi les plus prestigieuses dans le monde dans ce domaine de recherche.

Référence: Miguel Ruiz Veguilla. Département de Médecine Légale, Toxicologie et Psychiatrie de l’Université de Grenade. Portable : 678 660010. Courriel : mruizveguilla@yahoo.com


Female rattlesnakes ‘indulge in cannibalism’

Female rattlesnakes \’indulge in cannibalism\’

Washington (PTI): Researchers have for the first time found evidence that cannibalism is widespread among female rattlesnakes as it helps the species to recover as well as regain strength after giving birth.

A new study has shown that female rattlesnakes ingest on average 11 per cent of their postpartum mass (in particular eggs and dead offspring) in an attempt to recover energy for subsequent reproduction.

According to the researchers, cannibalism is «not an aberrant behaviour, and is not an attack on the progeny», it simply recovers some of what the female snake invested in the reproduction process, and prepares it to reproduce once again.

«A cannibal rattlesnake female can recover lost energy for reproduction without having to hunt for food, a dangerous activity that requires time and expends a great deal energy,» lead author Estrella Mocino of University of Granada said.

The researchers came to the conclusion after measuring «cannibalistic behaviour» among 190 females which had some 239 clutches of eggs. They found that this phenomenon is justified by «enabling the mother to recover and regain strength».

Of all the females, 68 per cent consumed part or all of their dead offspring, and 83 per cent of these ate them all, and waited little time to do so, although some ate them «immediately after giving birth». The rest 40 per cent of the females «did not display cannibalistic behaviour».

The study has found that cannibalism in this species is an evolutionary result of its feeding behaviour, since its prey is dead for some time before being eaten by the snake.

«Viperids in general are prepared to eat carrion, and for this reason it is not so strange that they consume the non-viable sections of their clutches after going through the great energy expenditure caused by reproduction.

«In comparison with mammals or birds, snakes aren\’t as maternal, but the study shows that they also display behaviour that has evolved, and that helps the female and her offspring to reproduce and grow successfully,» Mocino said.

The study has been published in the latest edition of the Animal Behaviour journal.

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Female rattlesnakes ‘indulge in cannibalism’

Female rattlesnakes \’indulge in cannibalism\’

Washington (PTI): Researchers have for the first time found evidence that cannibalism is widespread among female rattlesnakes as it helps the species to recover as well as regain strength after giving birth.

A new study has shown that female rattlesnakes ingest on average 11 per cent of their postpartum mass (in particular eggs and dead offspring) in an attempt to recover energy for subsequent reproduction.

According to the researchers, cannibalism is «not an aberrant behaviour, and is not an attack on the progeny», it simply recovers some of what the female snake invested in the reproduction process, and prepares it to reproduce once again.

«A cannibal rattlesnake female can recover lost energy for reproduction without having to hunt for food, a dangerous activity that requires time and expends a great deal energy,» lead author Estrella Mocino of University of Granada said.

The researchers came to the conclusion after measuring «cannibalistic behaviour» among 190 females which had some 239 clutches of eggs. They found that this phenomenon is justified by «enabling the mother to recover and regain strength».

Of all the females, 68 per cent consumed part or all of their dead offspring, and 83 per cent of these ate them all, and waited little time to do so, although some ate them «immediately after giving birth». The rest 40 per cent of the females «did not display cannibalistic behaviour».

The study has found that cannibalism in this species is an evolutionary result of its feeding behaviour, since its prey is dead for some time before being eaten by the snake.

«Viperids in general are prepared to eat carrion, and for this reason it is not so strange that they consume the non-viable sections of their clutches after going through the great energy expenditure caused by reproduction.

«In comparison with mammals or birds, snakes aren\’t as maternal, but the study shows that they also display behaviour that has evolved, and that helps the female and her offspring to reproduce and grow successfully,» Mocino said.

The study has been published in the latest edition of the Animal Behaviour journal.

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Se presenta el poemario «Fractal de asuntos propios», del profesor de Psiquiatría de la UGR José María López Sánchez

El poemario “Fractal de asuntos propios”, de José María López Sánchez, profesor jubilado del departamento de Medicina Legal, Toxicología y Psiquiatría de la Universidad de Granada, será presentado el martes, 24 de febrero, a las 20 horas, en el Aula Magna de la Facultad de Medicina.

En el acto intervendrán el decano de la Facultad de Medicina, profesor Indalecio Sánchez-Montesinos García; el director de la Editorial Universidad de Granada, profesor Rafael Peinado; el catedrático de Teoría de la Literatura Antonio Sánchez Trigueros; y el propio autor del poemario, José María López Sánchez.

El autor de “Fractal de asuntos propios” es profesor jubilado de Psiquiatría en la Facultad de Medicina de la UGR. Y ha publicado, entre otros títulos, Poesía Secreta, Burlescos y Bocetos y Sonetos

Actividad: Presentación del libro “Fractal de asuntos propios”
Organiza: Decanato de la Facultad de Medicina
Lugar: Aula Magna de la Facultad de Medicina
Fecha : Martes, 24 de febrero de 2009
Hora: 20.00 h.
Entrada: Libre (limitada al aforo del recinto).

Referencia: Profesor José María López Sánchez. Departamento de Medicina Legal, Toxicología y Psiquiatría. Universidad de Granada. Tfn: 958 203792


La Opinión

Pág. 8: Garzón participará en un congreso de Derecho Penal en Granada
Pág. 12: Alumnos preparan movilizaciones para que informática no se suprima
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Granada Hoy

Pág. 14: Garzón hablará en Granada sobre el crimen organizado
Pág. 20: Conferencia sobre Evolucionismo y Creacionismo
Pág. 21: I Semana de Artes Plásticas en Ciencias de la Educación
Actual – Pág. 38: Ángel García Roldán abre con una charla la Semana de Artes Plásticas
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Ideal

Pág. 14: El ansia de títulos ante la crisis abarrota las aulas de la UNED
Pág. 57: La Universidad celebra la I Semana Cultural de Artes Plásticas
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