Animal models for neuropsychiatric disorders: prospects for circuit intervention

Tobias Kaiser; Yang Zhou; Guoping Feng

doi:10.1016/j.conb.2017.03.010

Animal models for neuropsychiatric disorders: prospects for circuit intervention

Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2017 Aug:45:59-65. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.03.010. Epub 2017 Apr 15.

Authors

Tobias Kaiser¹, Yang Zhou¹, Guoping Feng²

Affiliations

¹ McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
² McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Electronic address: fengg@mit.edu.

PMID: 28419975
DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.03.010

Abstract

Monogenic animal models for psychiatric diseases have enabled researchers to dissect the relationship between certain candidate genes, neural circuit abnormalities, and behavioral phenotypes along development. Early reports of phenotypic reversal after genetic restoration in mouse models sparked hope that genetic defects do not damage circuits irreversibly in early-onset disorders. However, further studies have suggested that only some circuits exhibit this plasticity, while many others require proper gene function during development. This review focuses on what we have learned from a few evolutionarily conserved circuit-phenotype relationships and their developmental windows to illustrate their importance when considering intervention strategies.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Mental Disorders / physiopathology*
Nervous System Diseases / physiopathology*
Neuropsychiatry / trends*
Phenotype