Liu, Y. (Photographer). (2015, February 15) At Home With Mental Illness [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.yuyangliu.com/portfolio/portfolios/at-home-with-mental-illness/
Animal Models and Schizophrenia
Group Summary by: Nancy I.
Human and animal model studies of sensorimotor gating-(having or involving both sensory and motor functions or pathways) allow scientists to understand the functional significance of attentional abnormalities in patients with schizophrenic disorders. In addition, schizophrenic patients report oversensitivity to sensory stimulations, which correlates with stimulus overload and leads to cognitive fragmentation. The study of gating deficiency in schizophrenia and in related animal model studies have already advanced the understanding of the neural substrates of information processing abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. More recently, work has begun to identify specific rodent behavioral tasks to specific cognitive domains affected in patients with schizophrenia.
Braff, M. D. (1990, February 01). Sensorimotor Gating and Schizophrenia. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/494897
Light, G. A., & Braff, D. L. (n.d.). Human and animal studies of schizophrenia-related gating deficits. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-999-0008-y
Jones, C., Watson, D., & Fone, K. (2011, October). Animal models of schizophrenia. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229756/
Braff, M. D. (1990, February 01). Sensorimotor Gating and Schizophrenia. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/494897
Light, G. A., & Braff, D. L. (n.d.). Human and animal studies of schizophrenia-related gating deficits. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-999-0008-y
Jones, C., Watson, D., & Fone, K. (2011, October). Animal models of schizophrenia. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229756/
Brain Stimulation Improves Schizophrenia-Like Cognitive Problems
By: Alexis T.
A new study in rats shows that stimulation of the cerebellum helps improve Schizophrenia-like cognitive issues. This helped to normalize brain activity in the frontal cortex and improves the rat's ability to judge the passage of time, a common cognitive deficit in people with Schizophrenia. This is a big break through because never before in animal models have connections between the cerebellum and the frontal cortex been found. This testing restored regular cognitive function, which has never been done in similar studies. This study, along with others from Harvard are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to research that suggests cerebellar stimulation can improve symptoms in patients with Schizophrenia. A common symptom in patients of Schizophrenia is a cognitive delay. This is an almost "lagging" effect that takes a longer time for those with Schizophrenia to comprehend the world around them. With the stimulation of the cerebellum this cognitive delay can be treated or even eliminated, removing one of the largest symptoms of Schizophrenia.
University of Iowa Health Care. (2017, March 28). Brain stimulation improves schizophrenia-like cognitive problems: Cerebellar stimulation restores missing brain wave in rats and corrects timing deficit. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 11, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170328132228.htm
University of Iowa Health Care. (2017, March 28). Brain stimulation improves schizophrenia-like cognitive problems: Cerebellar stimulation restores missing brain wave in rats and corrects timing deficit. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 11, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170328132228.htm
Schizophrenia: Human and Animal Studies
By: Nancy I.
Animal models of complex psychiatric disorders (like schizophrenia) are clearly very valuable preclinical tools with which to investigate the neurobiological basis of the disorder. Specifically, neonatal lesions of the ventral part of the hippocampus in rats (NVHL rats) is a widely studied developmental animal model of schizophrenia. NVHL rats mimic many of the symptoms of schizophrenia in detail. The precise effects of the lesion depend on the day on which it is administered. The mice offer a more rapid platform to monitor disease progression than in humans because they have a shorter life span; however, one problem is how to assess some of the main symptoms of psychiatric disorders (like thoughts, and verbal learning and memory), which are uniquely human traits. In general, most behaviors can only be indexed rather than directly quantified, and scientists are left to monitor performance in tasks designed to have translational relevance to core symptoms and make inference about the psychiatric state.
Jones, CA, DJG Watson, and KCF Fone. "Animal Models of Schizophrenia." British Journal of Pharmacology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
Jones, CA, DJG Watson, and KCF Fone. "Animal Models of Schizophrenia." British Journal of Pharmacology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
Animal Models and Schizophrenia
All of the animal models for Schizophrenia have been induced in one of four ways: developmentally, drug-induced, lesion, or genetic manipulation; the best examples of each inducement are herein. The rodent models best represent positive symptoms of Schizophrenia. Most recently, work has begun to identify specific rodent behavioral tasks with specific cognitive domain affected in Schizophrenia. Further studies in animal models increase knowledge of, not just treating Schizophrenia, but perhaps in the future, curing it.