2023-11-15 16:13:03
Neuroscientist Lin Zhang has made an important discovery in the field of suicide prevention. Through her research, she has found changes in the brains of individuals who have chosen suicide, changes that are not present in the brains of those who have died of natural causes. This finding has the potential to revolutionize the way suicides are determined and understood.
The key finding of her research is a change in the hippocampus, the brain area involved in stress. Zhang and her team found a strong increase in the expression of a receptor, P2RX7, in the brains of individuals who died by suicide. This increase in the receptor only occurs during suicide and euthanasia, making it a clear and measurable ‘marker’ for suicide.
Zhang’s research involved examining the brains of deceased donors from the Dutch Brain Bank, including individuals who chose euthanasia and those who died of natural causes. The marker was found to be present only in those who had chosen suicide, regardless of whether they had a psychiatric diagnosis or not.
Zhang was inspired to pursue this research due to her background as a forensic doctor and coroner in China. She found it difficult that objective measurements to determine suicide were lacking, and she wanted to provide a clear, indisputable marker that confirms suicide.
The marker that Zhang has discovered is visible until fifteen hours after death, after which it is no longer detectable. While this poses a challenge for forensic investigations, Zhang and her team are now looking for other markers that remain visible for a longer period.
In addition to her current findings, Zhang hopes to map all the neurobiological changes associated with suicide, including changes in the brains of individuals who attempt suicide but survive. Ultimately, she aims to relate these brain measurements to individuals’ daily life complaints in collaboration with healthcare in order to support those at risk of suicide and improve their quality of life.
Lin Zhang, who received her PhD for this research at the end of October, has made a significant contribution to suicide research and prevention. Her work has the potential to change the way suicide is understood and addressed. For those in need of support, anonymous chat services and hotlines are available to provide help and resources.]
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