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Taraxein is a protein isolated from the blood of schizophrenic patients, claimed by Robert Galbraith Heath to produce schizophrenia-like symptoms when injected into healthy subjects.〔Heath RG, Mårtens S, Leach BE, Cohen M, Angel C (1957): Effect on behavior in humans with the administration of taraxein. Am J Psychiatry, 114: 14–24.〕〔Jan Dirk Blom, Taraxein and hallucinations, in A Dictionary of Hallucinations, Springer 2010, p. 502.〕 Despite initial interest, attempts at confirmation failed. The results are today commonly assumed to be due to self-deception.〔Alan Baumeistera, The Search for an Endogenous Schizogen: The Strange Case of Taraxein, Journal of the History of the Neurosciences: Basic and Clinical Perspectives Volume 20, Issue 2, 2011 p. 106-102〕 The name is derived from the Greek word taraxis, meaning disordered or confused mind. 〔 Taraxein was discovered during the investigation of the hypothesis that catecholamine metabolism is altered in schizophrenia. A blue substance was found in extracts from schizophrenic persons but not normal, and it was claimed that when tested on monkeys this produced the abnormal septal activity the experimenters thought was characteristic of schizophrenia.〔 At the 1956 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association Heath announced that they "had induced full symptoms of schizophrenia" in two nonpsychotic prisoner-volunteers from Louisiana State Penitentiary.〔Tulane University press release Thursday, May 3, 1956, Archives of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University; "Mental Disorder is Induced in Tests," New York Times, Friday, May 4, 1956.〕 This was followed by claims of successful induction of symptoms characteristic of schizophrenia in further subjects. 〔Heath RG, Mårtens S, Leach BE, Cohen M, Feigley CA, Behavioral changes in nonpsychotic volunteers following the administration of taraxein, the substance obtained from serum of schizophrenic patients. Am J Psychiatry 114: 917–919 1958〕 The announcement caught the interest of the popular press 〔Time, April 13, 1953, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,824897,00.html)〕 and the scientific community. However, the latter was concerned with both the double-blind procedure, claimed total lack of placebo effect, and a failure by an outside team to replicate the findings. 〔Abramson HA, ed. (1959): Neuropharmacology: Transactions of the Fourth Conference. New York, Josiah Macy, Jr., Foundation.〕 When outside further replication failed 〔Siegel M, Niswander D, Sachs E, Stavros D (1959): Taraxein, fact or artifact. Am J Psychiatry 115: 819–820.〕 interest ebbed. Heath continued to stand by taraxein, and later reported that it is associated with immunoglobulins, supporting his autoimmune theory of schizophrenia. 〔Heath RG, Krupp IM (1967): Schizophrenia as an immunologic disorder. I: Demonstration of antibrain globulins by fluorescent antibody techniques. Arch Gen Psychiat 16: 1–9.〕 However, outside replication of these results also failed. Taraxein has CAS registry number 9010-30-4. ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Taraxein」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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