Schizophrenia is a priority research objective within the CIBERSAM. One of the most serious mental disorders and one that causes a high degree of disability, economic cost, and family suffering. This illness affects approximately 400,000 Spanish people. People suffering from this disorder have a reduction in their life expectancy of nearly 20 years.

CIBERSAM Research in Schizophrenia
The structure of the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental incorporates a broad network of basic and clinical centres in which the national groups with the most schizophrenia research experience participate. Their collaboration is making it possible to provide a multidimensional approach to the complex problems related to the origin, course, and treatment of this disease. The CIBERSAM’s research is enabling remarkable advances in that knowledge and have resulted in important publications in journals with maximum international impact.

The following can be found among the main objectives:

• Obtaining a broad sample of patients with first psychotic episodes and organising their evolutive study.

• Studying genetic, neurophysiologic, neuroimaging (structural, neurochemical, and functional), and biochemical variables in the initial phases of psychosis.

• Study of the neurobiologic (genetic, neuroimaging, and neurophysiologic) bases of the different symptomatologic phenotypes of schizophrenia.

• Studying the neurobiologic (neuroimaging, neurophysiologic, and cognitive) and clinical response phenotypes prior to different drug treatments.

• Investigating the efficacy and effectiveness of psychotherapeutic treatments in combination with standard drug treatments in schizophrenia.

• Studying the repercussions of schizophrenia on health status, psychosocial adjustment, quality of life, individual levels of disability, and patterns of service use on the part of those patients and their influence on comorbidity.

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Coordination and member groups

Coordinator: Julio Sanjúan Arias

Groups members:

• Universidad de Valencia. Facultad de Medicina ( Julio Sanjúan Arias )
  

• Hospital Ramón y Cajal ( Jerónimo Saiz Ruiz )
  

• Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla ( José Luis Vázquez-Barquero )
  

• Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre ( Tomas Palomo Álvarez )
  

• UPV Facultad de Medicina ( José Javier Meana Martinez )
  

• Benito Menni Complex Assistencial ( Peter J. Mckenna )
  

• Fundación Sant Joan de Deu ( Josep Maria Haro Abad )
  

• Universidad de Barcelona. Facultad de Biología ( Lourdes Fañanás Saura )
  

• Hospital Santiago Apostol ( Ana González - Pinto Arrillaga )
  

• Universidad de Oviedo. Facultad de Medicina ( Julio Bobes Garcia )
  

• Hospital Clinico y Provincial de Barcelona ( Miguel Bernardo Arroyo )
  

• Hospital Gregorio Marañón ( Celso Arango López )