Full Description
The development of more effective treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders requires scientific progress on a broad front. Animal models have a vital role to play in advancing the field. When deployed in conjunction with detailed study of these diseases in man they bring the power to make controlled experimental interventions which allow the functional consequences of genetic variations and polymorphisms to be understood in terms of their cellular, systems and behavioural effects. Further, they provide a means by which complex cognitive and behavioural phenomena may be dissected and understood. Finally, they provide a bridge to understanding the effects of drugs on the functioning of the central nervous system, thereby improving our understanding of the actions of those drugs in man.
Contents
From the contents: Preface.- Mouse mutagenesis and disease models for Neuropsychiatric disorders. - Drosophila as a model organism for the study of neuropsychiatric disorders.- Transgenic animal models of Huntington's Disease.- Molecular genetic models related to schizophrenia and psychotic illness: heuristics and challenges.- Animal Models of Depression: Molecular Perspectives.-Animal models of ADHD.- Mouse Models of Autism: Testing Hypotheses about Molecular Mechanisms.- Advances in animal models of drug addiction.- When the serotonin transporter gene meets adversity: The contribution of animal models to understanding epigenetic mechanisms in affective disorders and resilience.- Functional and Pharmacological MRI in understanding brain function at a systems level.- The pig as model animal for studying cognition and neurobehavioral disorders.
