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. 2014 Jun 1;1(2):100-116.
doi: 10.1007/s40473-014-0013-2.

Animal Models of Psychosis: Current State and Future Directions

Alexandra D Forrest  1 , Carlos A Coto  1 , Steven J Siegel  1
Affiliations

Animal Models of Psychosis: Current State and Future Directions

Alexandra D Forrest et al. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep. .

Abstract

Psychosis is an abnormal mental state characterized by disorganization, delusions and hallucinations. Animal models have become an increasingly important research tool in the effort to understand both the underlying pathophysiology and treatment of psychosis. There are multiple animal models for psychosis, with each formed by the coupling of a manipulation and a measurement. In this manuscript we do not address the diseases of which psychosis is a prominent comorbidity. Instead, we summarize the current state of affairs and future directions for animal models of psychosis. To accomplish this, our manuscript will first discuss relevant behavioral and electrophysiological measurements. We then provide an overview of the different manipulations that are combined with these measurements to produce animal models. The strengths and limitations of each model will be addressed in order to evaluate its cross-species comparability.

Keywords: Animal Model; Behavior; Electroencephalography; Pharmacological Manipulation; Psychosis; Transgenic Mice.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Carlos Coto declares no conflicts of interest. Steven Siegel received grants from the NIMH, NIDA and Boerhing Engleheim Astellas. Siegel received honoraria and travel expenses covered from Boehringer Englehiem. Siegel received royalties from NuPathe, and a patent for NuPathe. Alexandra Forrest has no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of apparatus used to measure prepulse inhibition of startle in rodents.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative grand average auditory event related potential recordings from human scalp, mouse surface and mouse depth electrodes. Note that the overall pattern of event related activity is consistent across species and locations, with a prominent P1, N1 and P2 components. These responses are termed “obligatory” as they occur in response to a simple tone or click in rodents, non-human primates or clinical populations. These components occur at 40% of the human latency in mouse. Thus, the P1 occurs at 20 ms in mouse and 50 ms in human, while the N1 and P2 occur at 40 and 80 ms in mouse and 100 and 200 ms in human respectively. Studies over the past decade demonstrate that each component in mouse shares psychometric and pharmacological response properties within the corresponding human ERP component, yielding excellent predictive validity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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