Modeling excess striatal D2 receptors in mice.

Dopaminergic hyperactivity in the striatum has been one of the most replicated physiological findings in patients with schizophrenia. To study the consequences of increased D2 receptor density in the striatum, as it has been observed in patients with schizophrenia, D2 receptors have been selectively over-expressed in the mouse striatum. Here, the analysis of this mouse model is summarized and discussed in the context of the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia.