Abaza- Disc 1 mutants

It was interesting to find differential effects between the Post and Pre induction of the Disc-1 mutant. Since there were many more negative changes associated with post induction than pre-induction (i.e, DA levels decreased, volumetric reductions in cortex, decrease in PV+ cells). This however may suggest that the changes that lead to schizophrenia are indeed gradually accumulating over time. There are obviously negative changes associated with pre -induction as well, suggesting an inherited component of the disorder, however since more negative changes are associated with the post induction of the mutant protein, this may suggest that the pathological process of schizophrenia is less deterministic, and more so dynamic and sensitive to environmental factors. It was not surprising to find  decrease in Gabbaergic tone within the hippocampus (decreased PV+ neurons), s this may explain the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, hallucinations and the like; since this lack of inhibitory tone may result in excitatory mediated symptoms. I also find it interesting that there would be TST and FST immobility increases with the mutants. This suggests comorbidity between schizophrenic phenotypes and depressive phenotypes. This also may suggest that depression may in certain cases even trigger schizophrenia, however direct causation is still yet to be researched.

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