Behavioral Neurogenetics

The Behavioral Neurogenetics group uses mouse behavioral models relevant to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia to determine the functional consequences of gene variants associated with risk of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and to examine in vivo the mechanisms of established psychiatric treatments and novel therapeutics. The group is a unique resource by conducting behavioral assessments and providing expertise in a broad range of mouse behavioral paradigms to the Stanley Center projects.

Our efforts are focused in two complementary areas:

1) Development of mouse genetic models through viral- and nonviral-mediated approaches to silence or overexpress genes in the mouse brain, and through conventional knockout and transgenic methods. These genetic models are evaluated for effects on behavior and neurobiology to understand the function of genes identified from patient studies by the Genetics Program and the pathways underlying medication response. Insights gained from these studies will ultimately be translated into cell-based and animal-based assays to discover more effective treatments.

2) Assessment of the therapeutic potential of novel compounds identified in cell-based screens by Stanley Center projects. Lead compounds having passed specific in vitro screening criteria are advanced for testing in vivo. These compounds are examined for efficacy in mouse behavioral assays relevant to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The goals are both to determine feasibility for further investigations leading to clinical trials and to understand the molecular pathways altered to gain insight into their in vivo mechanism of action.

Director: Tracey Petryshen, PhD