BDNF haploinsufficiency induces behavioral endophenotypes of schizophrenia in male mice that are rescued by enriched environment.

ABSTRACT: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is implicated in a number of processes that are crucial for healthy functioning of the brain. Schizophrenia is associated with low BDNF levels in the brain and blood, however, not much is known about BDNF's role in the different symptoms of schizophrenia. Here, we used BDNF-haploinsufficient (BDNF^+/-) mice to investigate the role of BDNF in different mouse behavioral endophenotypes of schizophrenia. Furthermore, we assessed if an enriched environment can prevent the observed changes. In this study, male mature adult wild-type and BDNF^+/- mice were tested in mouse paradigms for cognitive flexibility (attentional set shifting), sensorimotor gating (prepulse inhibition), and associative emotional learning (safety and fear conditio

SUBMITTER: Harb M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8062437 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature