1 Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
2 Department of Psychiatry, Neurochemical Research Unit and Bebensee Schizophrenia Research Unit, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
Can J Psychiatry. 2019 Jan;64(1):5-17. doi: 10.1177/0706743718773728. Epub 2018 May 9.
Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder that is poorly treated with current therapies. In this brief review, we provide an update regarding the use of animal models to study schizophrenia in an attempt to understand its aetiology and develop novel therapeutic strategies. Tremendous progress has been made developing and validating rodent models that replicate the aetiologies, brain pathologies, and behavioural abnormalities associated with schizophrenia in humans. Here, models are grouped into 3 categories-developmental, drug induced, and genetic-to reflect the heterogeneous risk factors associated with schizophrenia. Each of these models is associated with varied but overlapping pathophysiology, endophenotypes, behavioural abnormalities, and cognitive impairments. Studying schizophrenia using multiple models will permit an understanding of the core features of the disease, thereby facilitating preclinical research aimed at the development and validation of better pharmacotherapies to alter the progression of schizophrenia or alleviate its debilitating symptoms.
精神分裂症是一种异质性精神障碍，目前的治疗方法效果不佳。在这篇简短的综述中，我们提供了使用动物模型来研究精神分裂症的最新进展，试图了解其病因并开发新的治疗策略。在开发和验证啮齿动物模型方面已经取得了巨大进展，这些模型复制了与人类精神分裂症相关的病因、大脑病理学和行为异常。在这里，模型分为 3 类——发育、药物诱导和遗传，以反映与精神分裂症相关的异质风险因素。这些模型中的每一种都与不同但重叠的病理生理学、表型、行为异常和认知障碍相关。使用多种模型研究精神分裂症将有助于理解疾病的核心特征，从而促进旨在开发和验证更好的药物治疗方法以改变精神分裂症进展或减轻其致残症状的临床前研究。
