Breakthrough in Schizophrenia Research Announced by Sheba Medical Center

A recent study conducted by medical experts from Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, has confirmed a positive link between the use of estrogen patches and the improved symptoms of schizophrenia. This study represents a rare breakthrough in the understanding and treatment of the debilitating disorder.

A new study headed by Israeli researchers has confirmed a suspected link between the appliance of estrogen patches and the lessening of symptoms found in women with schizophrenia.

Led by Prof. Mark Weiser of Israel’s elite national hospital – Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer – the study is a rare breakthrough for the oft-misunderstood disorder and offers hope to patients around the world.

Research in the treatment of schizophrenia has long been plagued by inconsistent findings, with positive outcomes typically proving to be irreplicable. However, this new study provides an independent replication of the results found by Australia’s Dr. Jayshri Kulkarni – proving a definitive link between estrogen patches and the improved symptoms of schizophrenia in women.

After researchers administered estrogen patches to pre-menopausal women with schizophrenia for eight weeks, improved symptoms included the lessening of delusions and hallucinations, as well as improved social abilities and sense of initiative.

The results encourage the continued study of estrogen and its relation to schizophrenia, highlight disease differences in sexes, and emphasize the potential development of new chemical compounds which bind estrogen receptors in the brain.

“This is a significant breakthrough in the study of schizophrenia,” said Dr. Weiser. “These latest findings are a promising step towards understanding schizophrenia in women, and Sheba Medical Center is honored to be a part of this discovery.”

The study was conducted in the Republic of Moldova, and funded by the Stanley Medical Research Institute, a non-profit, charitable organization based in Washington DC.

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About Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer 
Born together with Israel in 1948, Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer is the largest and most comprehensive medical center in the Middle East. Sheba is the only medical center in Israel that combines an acute care hospital and a rehabilitation hospital on one campus, and it is at the forefront of medical treatments, patient care, research and education. As a university teaching hospital affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University, it welcomes people from all over the world indiscriminately. In 2019, Newsweek magazine named Sheba one of the top ten hospitals in the world. To learn more, visit: eng.sheba.co.il.

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These latest findings are a promising step towards understanding schizophrenia in women, and Sheba Medical Center is honored to be a part of this discovery.