• to establish the causes of severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression
  
• to become a central forum for discussion in this field
  
• to disseminate scientific information on mental illnesses
  

Professor Tim Crow is the Honorary Scientific Director of SANE. Widelyregarded as one of the most eminent researchers in the field, he now headsup a twenty-strong team of scientists in Oxford. Professor Crow'sachievements include pioneering studies of the anatomy of the brains ofpeople with schizophrenia and demonstrating that the usual asymmetry in thedevelopment of the human brain is less pronounced in schizophrenia. This hasled to the fascinating proposal that schizophrenia might be due to a faultin the development of an area known as the "language centre", a findingwhich could unlock the door to discovering more about this disease.

Programme of research

Psychosis, a severe episode of mental illness, is experienced by two to three percent of the population in the course of a lifetime and occurs in all populations with an onset throughout adult life. It is associated with high morbidity, in terms of loss of employment capacity, family breakdown and risk of suicide. The overall aim of the research programme is to determine the nature and causation of psychosis (in schizophrenia and manic-depression) with a view to devising new treatments.

- The nature of the genetic predisposition - studies are in progress with molecular techniques to identify the gene/s which predispose to schizophrenia and manic depression through collaboration with a number of centres in Europe and North and South America.

- The role of Homo sapiens-specific genes - a new class of genes has been identified that differ in structure or mechanism of regulation between humans and chimpanzees and other primates. Such genes may be related to specific human functions such as language and to characteristics of the brain such as asymmetry that are present in man but not the chimpanzee. These genes are being investigated for their relevance to diseases such as psychosis and disorders of language, including dyslexia, that may be confined to humans.

- Early childhood precursors of psychosis - investigations are in progress to determine characteristics of personality and changes in academic ability and the use of language that may precede the onset of psychosis by many years using the UK National Child Development sample. Such precursors provide clues to the nature of the illness and its developmental origins.

- Brain changes in first episodes of psychosis - MRI scans studies are being conducted to determine what brain changes are present at the time of onset in adolescence or early adult life and whether these changes progress with the illness.

- Neuropathological studies - studies are being conducted on post-mortem brains to show the changes that are associated with serious psychiatric illness, as they can be identified down the microscope. Such studies complement the imaging studies and have the potential to reveal the nature of the disease process at a cellular and molecular level.

- Neuro-psychological investigations - investigations are being carried out to determine what changes in intellect and the use of language are associated with the onset of psychosis in adolescence and early adult life. These studies are being conducted in association with MRI assessments to determine the nature and origin of the characteristic symptoms (e.g. hallucinations, thought disorder and loss of emotional responses).

The Centre is based within the grounds of the University of Oxford at Warneford Hospital in Oxford and building work is expected to conclude in Spring 2001. To view some of Professor Tim Crow's research papers on schizophrenia, follow this link.

SANE's research arm is hosting a mental health forum entitled 'Controversies in the treatment of psychoses' to be held at the Barbican Centre, London, on 24 and 25 May 2001.


The flower, the Iris (above painted by Bryan Charnley) has been adopted by SANE's Research Centre, along with the motto 'knowledge heals'. It was a picture of an iris that Vincent Van Gogh painted in May 1889 soon after he had been admitted to an asylum in St Remy, in the south of France, during his battle with severe mental illness. The flower is no stranger to crusades, adopted by the victorious soldiers of King Clovis, King of the Franks, and then by the Gaul in the first century, the French King, Louis VII and since corrupted to the fleur-de-Lys.


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