This invention relates to an animal model showing several behavioral and neuropathological features of schizophrenia.

Summary of Invention:

Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating life-long disease with symptoms typically appears in early twenties, and consequently, leaves a tremendous financial burden on patients and the society. Current treatment strategies are not effective in controlling the wide array of symptoms that include cognitive defects, hallucinations, delusions, social withdrawal, flat affect and disorganized speech. One of the major impediments to discovering effective pharmacological intervention has been the lack of good animal models. The present invention is the first demonstration of an animal model showing several behavioral and neuropathological features of this complex disorder. The current model shows delayed-onset dopaminergic hyperresponsivity, impaired prepulse inhibition and cognitive deficits consistent with that observed in humans suffering from the disease. In addition, these animals show dopaminergic, thalamocortical and GABAergic synaptic abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex, neuronal loss in the hippocampus, and enlarged ventricles, features described in postmortem studies of schizophrenia. Existing animal models of schizophrenia not only lack neuropathological features but also incur gross structural damage to the brain (i.e., hippocampus) thereby limiting their usefulness in studies of cognitive function and other neuropsychological testing paradigms. The techniques described in this invention allow for the development of animals that may be used for this purpose. As a result, the present animal model would be of particular interest to not only to researchers interested in studying the biological mechanisms but also to pharmaceutical companies involved in identifying, developing, screening, and testing new therapeutic agents (i.e., antipsychotic drugs, cognitive enhancers) for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Market Opportunity:

Schizophrenia is an illness that imposes considerable psychological distress upon the afflicted individual and their family and creates a tremendous social and economic burden on society. Approximately 2.5 million Americans and 1% of the worldwide population (1 out of every 100 people) suffer from schizophrenia. The social and economic burden of schizophrenia on society has been estimated to be $32.5 billion and $4.3 billion per year within the United States and Canada, respectively. No cure exists for individuals with schizophrenia. Symptoms of the disease are managed through antipsychotic drugs. However, current antipsychotic drugs are not effective in cognitive symptoms and have not been without risks. Given the high costs and relatively high prevalence of schizophrenia, it is expected that considerable research dollars will be spent on identifying more effective and safer means for managing this disorder in the future. The successful development of new treatment options for schizophrenia will depend on the existence of a valid and reliable animal model for preclinical safety and efficacy testing. Within the United States, the production of mouse models is reported to be a $200 million-a-year business. As a result, the total market that exists for an animal model of schizophrenia is expected to be worth greater than $1 million.