FROM RODENTS TO RECOVERY - DEVELOPMENT OF ANIMAL-MODELS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

This article provides a brief review of animal models used for the dev elopment of antipsychotic drugs. Traditionally, dopamine has been rega rded as the neurotransmitter involved in the aetiology of schizophreni a and models have evolved largely around this neurotransmitter. This t ends to lead to a circular line of research: dopamine-based models ten d to detect dopaminergic drugs, which are clinically efficacious but a re not ideal, It is suggested that newer models which use nonpharmacol ogical techniques to disrupt behaviour (e.g. social isolation and hipp ocampal lesions) and which bear some construct validity to the disease , may provide a fruitful avenue for the detection of antipsychotics th at operate through novel mechanisms, Preliminary studies with these mo dels are encouraging, although pharmacological validation is urgently required to establish whether these models have the predictive validit y evident with dopamine-based models.