Modeling cognitive endophenotypes of schizophrenia in mice.
Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder that is still characterized by its symptoms rather than by biological markers because we have only a limited knowledge of its underlying molecular basis. In the past two decades, however, technical advances in genetics and brain imaging have provided new insights into the biology of the disease. Based on these advances we are now in a position to develop animal models that can be used to test specific hypotheses of the disease and explore mechanisms of pathogenesis. Here, we consider some of the insights that have emerged from studying in mice the relationship between defined genetic and molecular alterations and the cognitive endophenotypes of schizophrenia.
Kellendonk
Christoph
C
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA. ck491@columbia.edu
Simpson
Eleanor H
EH
Kandel
Eric R
ER
D000818:Animals; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018628:Gene Dosage; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010641:Phenotype; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2