Paul Patterson: Can One Make a Mouse Model of Mental Illness, and Why Try?

This event was digitally recorded and is available for viewing on the Caltech Theater site.

To better understand how mental illnesses such as schizophrenia affect the brain, and to test novel treatments, it would be extremely helpful to be able to model aspects of this illness in animals. We are exploring a mouse model based on a known risk factor for schizophrenia and autism: viral infection in pregnant women increases the incidence of these disorders in their offspring. We find that a respiratory infection at mid-gestation leads to behavioral abnormalities in the adult offspring that are consistent with abnormalities seen in schizophrenia and autism. These adult offspring also display brain neuropathology similar to that found in schizophrenia and autism. How respiratory infection of the mother can alter fetal brain development will be discussed, as will the implications for prevention and therapy.

Paul H. Patterson is the Anne P. and Benjamin F. Biaggini Professor of Biological Sciences at Caltech.

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