Welcome to a Monday edition of Cool Stuff Daily, where today we're taking a look at an acne drug,

also an antibiotic, that may help stave off schizophrenia.

It comes to us courtesy of Science Daily and new research out of the University of Edinburgh.

A widely used antibiotic may help lower the chances of some young people developing schizophrenia,

according to this new research.

Scientists found that adolescents receiving mental health care who were prescribed the antibiotic

doxycycline were significantly less likely to develop schizophrenia later in life than those who treated with other antibiotics.

Experts believe the results suggest a potential new use for an existing and widely available medication

as a preventative treatment for severe mental illness.

A schizophrenia is a serious mental health disorder that typically begins in early adulthood

and is often marked by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.

Finding ways to reduce the risk of developing the condition has long been a major challenge

for mental health researchers.

To explore possible prevention strategies, scientists from the University of Edenburg, working with colleagues

from the University of Olu and University College Dublin, analyzed extensive health care data from

Finland using advanced statistical models. The study examined health records from more than

56,000 adolescents who had received antibiotics while attending mental health services. Those

treated with doxycycline showed a 30 to 35 percent lower risk of later developing schizophrenia

compared with peers who received other types of antibiotics. The research team believes

this protective effect could be related to doxycycline's impact

on inflammation and brain development.

A doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, commonly prescribed for infections and acne.

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