Project Summary

Miguel A. L. Nicolelis, M.D., Ph.D. (Distinguished Investigator 2004) of Duke University, using mouse models of schizophrenia, will employ a technique he has developed which will allow him to chronically record activity from multiple single cells in freely behaving mice (he can record simultaneous activity of many cells in cortical and subcortical brain areas, specifically frontal cortex and ventral striatum, as the mice perform sensory, motor and cognitive tasks). He will also record from brain regions that send dopaminergic input to both striatum and cortex, such as the ventral tegmental area. In rodents, increases in motor activity or stereotypic behavior have been used as measures of psychosis, while assessment of social interaction and cognitive performance can be used to assess negative symptoms. He expects his planned experiments on neural activity will facilitate the understanding of the neuronal circuit changes generated by dopaminergic and glutamatergic alterations, and will permit the investigation of the neuronal correlates of dysfunctional behavior in rodent models of schizophrenia. He believes this approach will allow for the integration of molecular, cellular, systems and behavioral data in the same animal, in order to produce a more complete understanding of the nature of alterations associated with schizophrenia, resulting in important implications for future treatments.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia

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