flatworms could help treat schizophrenia

Tiny worms found in ponds and rivers could be instrumental in treating mental illness, a study has suggested.

Research at the University of Reading has found the worms react to brain medicines in a similar way to rodents.

It means they could be used in place of rats and mice, which would involve fewer ethical concerns.

Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy, who led the study, said the findings were good for both science and animal welfare.

Previous studies have used the worms – known as planaria – to research epilepsy treatments and to investigate drug addiction, as the flatworms exhibit signs of withdrawal symptoms.

This new study, published on Friday in the journal Pharmaceutical Research, found they become less active when given haloperidol, a drug used to treat mental health conditions – just like rodents.

The drug works by calming overactive brain activity in people whose minds are working too fast or in confusing ways, and scientists often test this medicine on animals to understand how it affects the brain and develop better treatments for patients.

The new research suggests the worms could be used instead, which could help develop treatments for mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and hallucinations, the University said.

The worms could also be used to test different ways of making medicines.

The planaria research has already influenced teaching at the University of Reading, where the haloperidol effect on worms is now part of undergraduate pharmacology classes.

“This finding adds to growing evidence that tiny flatworms like planaria could play a valuable role in how we study the brain,” said Prof Khutoryanskiy.

“Close to a million mice and rats are used in UK research each year, but using planaria instead could potentially cut those numbers and still give us the answers we need to develop better treatments for people with serious mental health conditions. “