This grant application proposes laboratory research projects to continue a productive line of research into the behavioral, neurochemical, and anatomic characterization of new antipsychotic drugs. The new generation of antipsychotic drugs has swept clinical markets around the world because of the full clinical actions of the compounds and their reduced motor side effect profiles. This project aims to compare the two most widely used antipsychotics (risperidone and olanzapine), and contrast them with a traditional drug (haloperidol) in a chronic animal treatment model with informative mouse behavior, neurochemical and anatomic assays. We will test effects of the two new antipsychotic drugs and haloperidol on two mouse behaviors when applied acutely and after 1,2,3, and 4 months of antipsychotic treatment: (1) PCP-disrupted prepulse inhibition (PPI) (purportedly modeling for attentional dysfunction in schizophrenia) and (2) PCP-disruption of social learning (purportedly modeling for learning dysfunction). Concurrently, we will analyze neurochemical and anatomic markers of neurotransmitter pathways in CNS, especially in those regions where clinical schizophrenia studies have localized attentional and cognitive dysfunction. The behavioral, neurochemical, and anatomic changes will be correlated over treatment time in each drug group and contrasted between drugs. These studies are a continuation of a productive approach aimed at studying antipsychotic drug actions using behavior (oral dyskinesias) to mark the drug action and regional neurochemical correlates to establish the putative mechanism (see Progress Report). We can expect that new antipsychotic drugs will have not only actions on positive symptoms but also display low motor side effects (acute and chronic) and ameliorate the short term memory and the attentional dysfunction of schizophrenia. Animal measures of these """"""""new"""""""" actions could expedite drug development in this """"""""new"""""""" broader and more complex direction. Concentration on mouse behaviors, neurochemistry and behavior will advance studies aimed at kinetic applications.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH063439-04
Application #
7085362
Study Section
Integrative, Functional and Cognitive Neuroscience 8 (IFCN)
Program Officer
Winsky, Lois M
Project Start
2003-09-29
Project End
2008-06-30
Budget Start
2006-07-01
Budget End
2007-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$380,835
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas Sw Medical Center Dallas
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
800771545
City
Dallas
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
75390
Gao, Xue-Min; Elmer, Gregory I; Adams-Huet, Beverley et al. (2009) Social memory in mice: disruption with an NMDA antagonist and attenuation with antipsychotic drugs. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 92:236-42