ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4702-4785
Current Organisation
University of Manchester
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.NEULET.2010.01.028
Abstract: Persistent blockade of NMDA receptor function by repeated phencyclidine dosing produces pathophysiological changes that model deficits observed in schizophrenia. The present study investigates the effects of subchronic phencyclidine administration (PCP 2 or 5mg/kg bi-daily for 7 days followed by a drug-free period) on sucrose choice, a measure of anhedonia. Sucrose preference in a two-bottle sucrose-water choice test was assessed 1 and 2 weeks after PCP. Results showed no differences in sucrose intake between PCP rats and controls, nor a difference in water intake or total volume of liquid consumed at either time-point. Six weeks post-PCP, analysis of brains showed a reduction in expression of parvalbumin immunoreactive neurons in the hippoc us with significant reductions localised to the CA1 and CA2/3 regions. These results demonstrate that while subchronic PCP may not be a valid model for the negative symptom of anhedonia observed in schizophrenia, it induces pathology in the brain in hippoc al subregions that are reminiscent of changes observed in schizophrenia.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.BBR.2009.11.018
Abstract: Sub-chronic administration of phencyclidine to the rat induces enduring cognitive and pathophysiological changes that resemble some features of schizophrenia. The present study aimed to determine if concurrent administration of the atypical antipsychotic, risperidone, could attenuate the effect of phencyclidine on object recognition memory and parvalbumin-containing neurons in the prefrontal cortex. Rats were administered phencyclidine at a dose of 2mg/kg i.p. bi-daily for 1 week, or vehicle. Half of the phencyclidine group was concurrently treated with risperidone (0.5mg/kg i.p.) twice daily for 10 days, beginning 3 days before the start of phencyclidine administration. Novel object recognition memory and subsequent brain analysis were assessed 6 weeks post-phencyclidine treatment. Phencyclidine produced a deficit in object recognition memory as measured by the discrimination ratio. In addition, 6 weeks post-phencyclidine, analysis of brains showed a reduction in expression of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in the prefrontal cortex, with specific deficits observed in the prelimbic region, but not infralimbic or cingulate cortices. Concurrent administration of risperidone showed no protective effects against these deficits. These results show the importance of the sub-chronic phencyclidine rat in modelling cognitive and prefrontal pathophysiology observed in schizophrenia, but suggest that concurrent risperidone is not neuroprotective in this model.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.BBR.2008.07.020
Abstract: A sub-chronic administration of phencyclidine to the rat brings about enduring pathophysiological and cognitive changes that resemble some features of schizophrenia. The present study aimed to determine whether the behavioural consequence of this phencyclidine regime extends to a long-term disruption of social interaction that might provide a parallel with some negative symptoms of the disease. Rats were treated with phencyclidine (2mg/kg bi-daily for 1 week) or vehicle followed by a drug-free period. Social interaction was assessed 24h, 1 week, 3 weeks and 6 weeks post-treatment. A long-lasting disturbance of social behaviour was observed in the phencyclidine group, namely more contact and non-contact interaction with an unfamiliar target rat at all time points. Six weeks post-phencyclidine, analysis of brains showed a reduction in expression of parvalbumin immunoreactive neurons in the hippoc us with significant reductions localised to the CA1 and dentate gyrus regions. These results show that sub-chronic phencyclidine produces long-lasting disruptions in social interaction that, however, do not model the social withdrawal seen in patients with schizophrenia. These disturbances of social behaviour may be associated with concurrent pathophysiological brain changes.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 28-12-2009
DOI: 10.1016/J.BBR.2009.07.014
Abstract: Early exposure to infection is known to affect brain development and has been linked to an increased risk for schizophrenia. The present study aimed to determine whether neonatal infection produced long-term disruptions in behaviour and pathology that might provide a parallel with that observed in schizophrenia. Rats were administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS 500 microg/kg i.p.) on postnatal day 7 and 9. Locomotor activity and object recognition memory were tested at day 35 and day 70. LPS animals were observed to be less active at adulthood as measured by locomotor activity. With regards to object recognition memory, LPS administration produced no early impairment in task performance, however, at day 70 LPS animals spent significantly less time exploring the novel object than control animals. Analysis of brains showed a reduction in expression of parvalbumin immunoreactive neurons in the hippoc us of LPS animals with significant reductions selectively localised to the CA1-CA3 region, and not the dentate gyrus. No changes were observed in prefrontal cortex. These results show that neonatal LPS results in pathophysiological brain changes in hippoc al CA1-CA3 subregions.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1111/J.1460-9568.2009.07069.X
Abstract: Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) has been shown to play a role in glutamatergic neurotransmission and is a risk gene for schizophrenia, in which there is evidence for hypoglutamatergic function. Sensitivity to the behavioural effects of the psychotomimetic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists MK-801 and phencyclidine (PCP) was examined in mutant mice with heterozygous deletion of NRG1. Social behaviour (sociability, social novelty preference and dyadic interaction), together with exploratory activity, was assessed following acute or subchronic administration of MK-801 (0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg) or PCP (5 mg/kg). In untreated NRG1 mutants, levels of glutamate, N-acetylaspartate and GABA were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and regional brain volumes were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging at 7T. NRG1 mutants, particularly males, displayed decreased responsivity to the locomotor-activating effects of acute PCP. Subchronic MK-801 and PCP disrupted sociability and social novelty preference in mutants and wildtypes and reversed the increase in both exploratory activity and social dominance-related behaviours observed in vehicle-treated mutants. No phenotypic differences were demonstrated in N-acetylaspartate, glutamate or GABA levels. The total ventricular and olfactory bulb volume was decreased in mutants. These data indicate a subtle role for NRG1 in modulating several schizophrenia-relevant processes including the effects of psychotomimetic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 31-10-2014
DOI: 10.1093/IJNP/PYU010
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Michael Harte.