What is Psychosis and How Can We Treat It? – with Katharina Schmack

Join Crick Group Leader Katharina Schmack as she explains how her lab is working to uncover new ways to treat psychosis by finding its biological roots.

*In this video:*

00:00 What is psychosis and what does it feel like?

04:10 Primary and secondary psychotic disorders

07:24 Antipsychotic medications – their history, effects and limitations

11:43 Measuring psychosis

22:11 The role of dopamine in the brain

26:40 The immune system and its role in brain inflammation

30:26 New research directions and future treatments

*What is psychosis?*
Psychosis is a mental state in which people hear, see, or believe things that are not real. Psychosis is a core feature of severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia, which affect millions worldwide.

Despite its devastating impact, the biology of psychosis remains poorly understood – in part because its symptoms are subjective, making it difficult to study psychosis in scientific terms.

Katharina Schmack’s lab at the Crick studies how the brain and the immune system influence our thoughts and perceptions, and what goes wrong in psychosis.

Her team uses a unique cross-species approach, combining behavioural tests and immunological assays in both humans and mice to identify the brain circuits and immune processes involved.

Credits:
McGurk Effect video by Chocolate Films: https://www.chocolatevideoproduction.co.uk/

*About Katharina Schmack*

Katharina trained as a psychiatrist and neuroscientist in Berlin, Germany and in New York, US, before joining the Francis Crick Institute as a Group Leader in 2021. Alongside her research, she maintains a clinical role in a community mental health team in the NHS.

#Psychosis #MentalDisorders #ScienceTalks

*The Francis Crick Institute*

Based in the heart of London, the Crick is one of Europe’s largest labs, home to more than 2,000 scientists and a free public exhibition space.

We’re an independent charity and biomedical research institute bringing together people with different expertise to answer some of the biggest questions about life and health. At the Crick, we believe that everyone should have the chance to explore and shape science. That’s why we’re a place for engaging people with research and why it matters.

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