FROM GENE TO BEHAVIOR, A NEW WAY FOR ELAB ORATING NEW NEUROPSYCHOTROPIC AGENTS

Traditionally, the screening of new neuropsychotropic agents started f rom the observation of behavioural effects resulting from the administ ration of a new cheminal. Then, one tried to precise its mechanism of action. Since about a decade the way for discovering psychotropic agen ts tends to be inverse. It starts from the characterization of genes a nd investigates on their expression products which are new biological targets. Ligands for these targets are developped and then the effects resulting from their administration are considered. In this new strat egy, we will consider the cloning of genes and their expression in cul tured cells; the h-nock out of these genes by homologous recombinaison ; the extinction of gene expression by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides the concentration of behavioural phenotypes by selective breeding.