•There is a dire need to invest in novel drug discovery for psychiatric disorders.•“Valley of death” between academia and industry is exacerbated for brain disorders.•We propose an academic ...infrastructure to teach drug discovery and development.•We propose a framework for academic institutions to perform translational research.
There is a great need for novel drug discovery for major mental illnesses, but multiple levels of challenges exist in both academia and industry, spanning from scientific understanding and institutional infrastructure to business risk and feasibility. The “valley of death,” the large gap between basic scientific research and translation to novel therapeutics, underscores the need to restructure education and academic research to cultivate the fertile interface between academia and industry. In this opinion piece, we propose strategies to educate young trainees in the process of drug discovery and development, and prepare them for careers across this spectrum. In addition, we describe a research framework that considers the disease trajectory and underlying biology of mental disorders, which will help to address the core pathophysiology in novel treatments, and may even allow early detection and intervention. We hope that these changes will increase understanding among academia, industry, and government, which will ultimately improve the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of mental disorders.
Background Genome-wide scans have uncovered rare copy number variants conferring high risk of psychiatric disorders. The 15q13.3 microdeletion is associated with a considerably increased risk of ...idiopathic generalized epilepsy, intellectual disability, and schizophrenia. Methods A 15q13.3 microdeletion mouse model ( Dfh15q13/+ ) was generated by hemizygous deletion of the orthologous region and characterized with focus on schizophrenia- and epilepsy-relevant parameters. Results Df(h15q13)/+ mice showed marked changes in neuronal excitability in acute seizure assays, with increased propensity to develop myoclonic and absence-like seizures but decreased propensity for clonic and tonic seizures. Furthermore, they had impaired long-term spatial reference memory and a decreased theta frequency in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Electroencephalogram characterization revealed auditory processing deficits similar to those observed in schizophrenia. Gamma band power was increased during active state, but evoked gamma power following auditory stimulus (40 Hz) was dramatically reduced, mirroring observations in patients with schizophrenia. In addition, Df(h15q13)/+ mice showed schizophrenia-like decreases in amplitudes of auditory evoked potentials. Although displaying a grossly normal behavior, Df(h15q13)/+ mice are more aggressive following exposure to mild stressors, similar to what is described in human deletion carriers. Furthermore, Df(h15q13)/+ mice have increased body weight, and a similar increase in body weight was subsequently found in a sample of human subjects with 15q13.3 deletion. Conclusions The Df(h15q13)/+ mouse shows similarities to several alterations related to the 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome, epilepsy, and schizophrenia, offering a novel tool for addressing the underlying biology of these diseases.
Background The hemizygous 22q11.2 microdeletion is a common copy number variant in humans. The deletion confers high risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and schizophrenia. Up to ...41% of deletion carriers experience psychotic symptoms. Methods We present a new mouse model (Df(h22q11)/+) of the deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) and report on, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive study undertaken to date in 22q11.2DS models. The study was conducted in male mice. Results We found elevated postpubertal N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist–induced hyperlocomotion, age-independent prepulse inhibition (PPI) deficits and increased acoustic startle response (ASR). The PPI deficit and increased ASR were resistant to antipsychotic treatment. The PPI deficit was not a consequence of impaired hearing measured by auditory brain stem responses. The Df(h22q11)/+ mice also displayed increased amplitude of loudness-dependent auditory evoked potentials. Prefrontal cortex and dorsal striatal elevations of the dopamine metabolite DOPAC and increased dorsal striatal expression of the AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 was found. The Df(h22q11)/+ mice did not deviate from wild-type mice in a wide range of other behavioural and biochemical assays. Limitations The 22q11.2 microdeletion has incomplete penetrance in humans, and the severity of disease depends on the complete genetic makeup in concert with environmental factors. In order to obtain more marked phenotypes reflecting the severe conditions related to 22q11.2DS it is suggested to expose the Df(h22q11)/+ mice to environmental stressors that may unmask latent psychopathology. Conclusion The Df(h22q11)/+ model will be a valuable tool for increasing our understanding of the etiology of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders associated with the 22q11DS.
22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is one of the most common copy number variants and confers a markedly increased risk for schizophrenia. As such, 22q11.2DS is a homogeneous genetic liability ...model which enables studies to delineate functional abnormalities that may precede disease onset. Mismatch negativity (MMN), a brain marker of change detection, is reduced in people with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. Using dynamic causal modelling (DCM), previous studies showed that top-down effective connectivity linking the frontal and temporal cortex is reduced in schizophrenia relative to healthy controls in MMN tasks. In the search for early risk-markers for schizophrenia we investigated the neural basis of change detection in a group with 22q11.2DS. We recorded high-density EEG from 19 young non-psychotic 22q11.2 deletion carriers, as well as from 27 healthy non-carriers with comparable age distribution and sex ratio, while they listened to a sequence of sounds arranged in a roving oddball paradigm. Despite finding no significant reduction in the MMN responses, whole-scalp spatiotemporal analysis of responses to the tones revealed a greater fronto-temporal N1 component in the 22q11.2 deletion carriers. DCM showed reduced intrinsic connection within right primary auditory cortex as well as in the top-down, connection from the right inferior frontal gyrus to right superior temporal gyrus for 22q11.2 deletion carriers although not surviving correction for multiple comparison. We discuss these findings in terms of reduced adaptation and a general increased sensitivity to tones in 22q11.2DS.
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