BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

DISCerning schizophrenia in mice

August 29, 2013 7:00 AM UTC

Despite genetic advances in schizophrenia research, a lack of predictive preclinical models has hampered the development of new therapeutics. Now, a team at The Johns Hopkins University has created a transgenic mouse model of prefrontal dysfunction involving disrupted networks of neurons that cause behavioral changes similar to those seen in patients with schizophrenia or mood disorders.1

The model may represent a useful tool for preclinical characterization of candidate compounds. It centers on the schizophrenia risk marker disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) and represents a departure from traditional models that approach the disease as one rooted in an imbalance of neurotransmitters and receptors. Instead, it puts disrupted connectivity in the brain as the cause of schizophrenia...