title: Animal models of gene-environment interactions in schizophrenia.
abstract: The pathogenesis of schizophrenia and related mental illnesses likely involves multiple interactions between susceptibility genes of small effects and environmental factors. Gene-environment interactions occur across different stages of neurodevelopment to produce heterogeneous clinical and pathological manifestations of the disease. The main obstacle for mechanistic studies of gene-environment interplay has been the paucity of appropriate experimental systems for elucidating the molecular pathways that mediate gene-environment interactions relevant to schizophrenia. Recent advances in psychiatric genetics and a plethora of experimental data from animal studies allow us to suggest a new approach to gene-environment interactions in schizophrenia. We propose that animal models based on identified genetic mutations and measurable environment factors will help advance studies of the molecular mechanisms of gene-environment interplay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Yavuz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ayhan
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Mikhail V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Pletnikov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004777:Environment; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D020890:Neuregulin-1 / Q000235:genetics; D055495:Neurogenesis; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D000091042:Reelin Protein; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; C498794:Disc1 protein, mouse; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020890:Neuregulin-1; D000091042:Reelin Protein; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases