Schizophrenia Cured in Mice

Scientists from the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University have been doing experiments on mice relating to schizophrenia. The scientists genetically engineered mice so that they could change the levels of neuregulin-1 in the mice. They put high levels of neuregulin-1 in mice to imitate the levels found in schizophrenic patients. Through this they have found that the mice with high levels of neuregulin-1 exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia. When the levels were returned to normal, the symptoms disappeared. This confirms that high levels of neuregulin-1 is the cause of schizophrenia and can be treated by bringing down the levels. This works in mice, but scientists aren't so sure if it'll work for humans. And only a minority of schizophrenic patients have high neuregulin-1 levels. Also, to even lower the levels would require small molecules that could block the gene's signaling pathways. Thus, as of now, schizophrenia still doesn't have a cure, but scientists believe that these discoveries will help the development of a cure.

Link to article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522123143.htm

NOS Themes:

• Science is collaborative: Many scientists worked together to uncover these discoveries.
• Science is based on evidence: The scientists didn't publish their findings until they were sure that there was evidence to back up their claims.
• Role of chance: The scientists tested many mice to make sure that the results didn't happen by chance.

Crystal Chang
Hour 3