The Insanity Virus | Mental Health | DISCOVER Magazine

This is absolutely extraordinary. Schizophrenia and bipolar may be
caused by a retrovirus, a special sort of virus that passed down through
the generations and activated by certain stressors. It may also be
responsible for MS.

This is totally biomedical stuff which is why I find it fascinating.

http://discovermagazine.com/2010/jun/03-the-insanity-virus/article_view?b_start:int=0&-C=

The link to the research paper is
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18760403
"
RESULTS: In schizophrenic patients, positive antigenemia for ENV was
found in 23 of 49 (47%) and for GAG in 24 of 49 (49%). Only 1 of 30 (3%)
for ENV and 2 of 49 (4%) for GAG were positive in blood donors (p < .01
for ENV; p < .001 for GAG). Interestingly, bioclinical data analyses
revealed significant correlation between GAG or ENV antigenemia (a
protein causing dysimmune inflammatory effects) and C-reactive protein
(CRP) levels (a systemic inflammation biomarker).

CONCLUSIONS: Frequently elevated CRP has previously been described in
schizophrenic patients and has been shown to match with an evolution
toward cognitive deficit and neuronal loss. Elsewhere viruses such as
influenza, long-associated with risk for schizophrenia through perinatal
infections, have been shown to activate HERV-W elements in human cells.
We therefore discuss a relationship between environment factors
long-associated with early risk, genetic factors represented by this
endogenous family, the production of its pro-inflammatory ENV protein
and known "inflammation-mediated" neurotoxicity, as a possible
hypothesis for a pathogenic cascade in association with HERV-W. Our
present results thus confirm that HERV-W studies have opened a novel
avenue of research in schizophrenia.
"