[Concept and results of the German Research Network on Schizophrenia].

Background: The German Research Network on Schizophrenia (GRNS) was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from 1999 to 2011. The aim was to obtain a better horizontal and vertical networking of German research and care facilities on schizophrenia, in order to investigate open research questions, to transfer the results into clinical practice and improve care and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia.

Objectives/methods: This paper describes the concept and operations of the GRNS as well as its results on the basis of selected research projects.

Alpha-synuclein levels in blood plasma decline with healthy aging.

There is unequivocal evidence that alpha-synuclein plays a pivotal pathophysiological role in neurodegenerative diseases, and in particular in synucleinopathies. These disorders present with a variable extent of cognitive impairment and alpha-synuclein is being explored as a biomarker in CSF, blood serum and plasma. Considering key events of aging that include proteostasis, alpha-synuclein may not only be useful as a marker for differential diagnosis but also for aging per se.

[12 years of competence network schizophrenia: results and perspectives].

The German Research Network on Schizophrenia (GRNS) was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from 1999 to 2011. The objectives and the structure of the network with its horizontal and vertical networking of German research and care facilities served for the scientific investigation of open research questions for schizophrenia, and the transfer of the results into clinical practice. In this paper, the functioning and results of the GRNS are described on the basis of selected research projects.

Altered serum IgG levels to α-synuclein in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease.

Natural self-reactive antibodies in the peripheral blood may play a considerable role in the control of potentially toxic proteins that may otherwise accumulate in the aging brain. The significance of serum antibodies reactive against α-synuclein is not well known. We explored serum IgG levels to monomeric α-synuclein in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) with a novel and validated highly sensitive ELISA assay.