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Winship IR, Dursun SM, Baker GB, Balista PA, Kandratavicius L, Maia-de-Oliveira JP, Hallak J, Howland JG. An Overview of Animal Models Related to Schizophrenia. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. REVUE CANADIENNE DE PSYCHIATRIE 2019; 64:5-17. [PMID: 29742910 PMCID: PMC6364139 DOI: 10.1177/0706743718773728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder that is poorly treated with current therapies. In this brief review, we provide an update regarding the use of animal models to study schizophrenia in an attempt to understand its aetiology and develop novel therapeutic strategies. Tremendous progress has been made developing and validating rodent models that replicate the aetiologies, brain pathologies, and behavioural abnormalities associated with schizophrenia in humans. Here, models are grouped into 3 categories-developmental, drug induced, and genetic-to reflect the heterogeneous risk factors associated with schizophrenia. Each of these models is associated with varied but overlapping pathophysiology, endophenotypes, behavioural abnormalities, and cognitive impairments. Studying schizophrenia using multiple models will permit an understanding of the core features of the disease, thereby facilitating preclinical research aimed at the development and validation of better pharmacotherapies to alter the progression of schizophrenia or alleviate its debilitating symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R Winship
- 1 Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
| | - Serdar M Dursun
- 2 Department of Psychiatry, Neurochemical Research Unit and Bebensee Schizophrenia Research Unit, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.,3 National Institute of Science and Technology-Translational Science, Brazil
| | - Glen B Baker
- 2 Department of Psychiatry, Neurochemical Research Unit and Bebensee Schizophrenia Research Unit, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.,3 National Institute of Science and Technology-Translational Science, Brazil
| | - Priscila A Balista
- 4 Department of Pharmacy, Centro Universitario das Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ludmyla Kandratavicius
- 5 Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
| | - Joao Paulo Maia-de-Oliveira
- 3 National Institute of Science and Technology-Translational Science, Brazil.,6 Department of Clinical Medicine, Rio Grande do Norte Federal University, Natal, Brazil
| | - Jaime Hallak
- 3 National Institute of Science and Technology-Translational Science, Brazil.,5 Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil.,7 Department of Psychiatry (NRU), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
| | - John G Howland
- 8 Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
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Greenwood LM, Leung S, Michie PT, Green A, Nathan PJ, Fitzgerald P, Johnston P, Solowij N, Kulkarni J, Croft RJ. The effects of glycine on auditory mismatch negativity in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2018; 191:61-69. [PMID: 28602646 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Glycine increases N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) mediated glutamatergic function. Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a proposed biomarker of glutamate-induced improvements in clinical symptoms, however, the effect of glycine-mediated NMDAR activation on MMN in schizophrenia is not well understood. This study aimed to determine the effects of acute and 6-week chronic glycine administration on MMN in schizophrenia patients. MMN amplitude was compared at baseline between 22 patients (schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder; receiving stable antipsychotic medication; multi-centre recruitment) and 21 age- and gender-matched controls. Patients underwent a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with glycine added to their regular antipsychotic medication (placebo, n=10; glycine, n=12). MMN was reassessed post-45-minutes of first dose (0.2g/kg) and post-6-weeks treatment (incremented to 0.6g/kg/day). Clinical symptoms were assessed at baseline and post-6-weeks treatment. At baseline, duration MMN was smaller in schizophrenia compared to controls. Acute glycine increased duration MMN (compared to placebo), whilst this difference was absent post-6-weeks treatment. Six weeks of chronic glycine administration improved PANSS-Total, PANSS-Negative and PANSS-General symptoms compared to placebo. Smaller baseline duration MMN was associated with greater PANSS-Negative symptoms and predicted (at trend level) PANSS-Negative symptom improvement post-6-weeks glycine treatment (not placebo). These findings support the benefits of chronic glycine administration and demonstrate, for the first time, that acute glycine improves duration MMN in schizophrenia. This result, together with smaller baseline duration MMN predicting greater clinical treatment response, suggests the potential for duration MMN as a biomarker of glycine-induced improvements in negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa-Marie Greenwood
- School of Psychology and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
| | - Sumie Leung
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria, Australia
| | - Patricia T Michie
- School of Psychology and Priority Research Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
| | - Amity Green
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Pradeep J Nathan
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Paul Fitzgerald
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Patrick Johnston
- Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, United Kingdom; School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia
| | - Nadia Solowij
- School of Psychology and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jayashri Kulkarni
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rodney J Croft
- School of Psychology and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
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Pharmacological treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2015; 265:567-78. [PMID: 25895634 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-015-0596-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Effective treatment of negative symptoms is one of the most important unmet needs in schizophrenic disorders. Because the evidence on current psychopharmacological treatments is unclear, the authors reviewed the findings published to date by searching PubMed with the keywords negative symptoms, antipsychotics, antidepressants, glutamatergic compounds, monotherapy and add-on therapy and identifying additional articles in the reference lists of the resulting publications. The findings presented here predominantly focus on results of meta-analyses. Evidence for efficacy of current psychopharmacological medications is difficult to assess because of methodological problems and inconsistent results. In general, the second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) do not appear to have good efficacy in negative symptoms, although some show better efficacy than first-generation antipsychotics, some of which also demonstrated efficacy in negative symptoms. Specific trials on predominant persistent negative symptoms are rare and have been performed with only a few SGAs. More often, trials on somewhat persistent negative symptoms evaluate add-on strategies to ongoing antipsychotic treatment. Such trials, mostly on modern antidepressants, have demonstrated some efficacy. Several trials with small samples have evaluated add-on treatment with glutamatergic compounds, such as the naturally occurring amino acids glycine and D-serine and new pharmacological compounds. The results are highly inconsistent, although overall efficacy results appear to be positive. The unsatisfactory and inconsistent results can be partially explained by methodological problems. These problems need to be solved in the future, and the authors propose some possible solutions. Further research is required to identify effective treatment for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
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