Pharmacological animal models of schizophrenia for antipsychotic drug discovery and development

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychoneurological condition that encompasses a wide variety of neurochemical, morphological, bioelectrical and behavioural changes. Comprehension of the mechanisms underlying schizophrenia and psychosis cannot be fully acquired in clinical studies with humans. For this reason, a number of experimental animal models of schizophrenia have been developed. Although none of the existing models of schizophrenia fully reproduces the complete spectrum of schizophrenia, critical aspects of pathology processes can be experimentally recapitulated. In this review we summarise the pathological features, advantages and limitations of the major pharmacological animal models of schizophrenia, including maternal immune activation. Commonly used pharmacological models of schizophrenia are useful for the preclinical evaluation of antipsychotic drugs and involve the dysfunction of various neurotransmitter systems, including dopamine, glutamate, serotonin. The review also describes maternal immune activation and neurodevelopmental rat models of schizophrenia. Positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms vary in degree and combination depending on the type of model used. A greater understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of various animal models of schizophrenia and the use of more than one model to evaluate antipsychotic activity would help to improve the efficiency of the drug discovery process and therapy translation from preclinical studies to patients.