The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology

Table of Contents - July 2012 - Volume 15, Issue 06  

Research Article

Mouse strain differences in phencyclidine-induced behavioural changes

Akihiro Mouria1a2a3, Takenao Kosekia1a3, Shiho Narusawaa1a3, Minae Niwaa1a3a4a5, Takayoshi Mamiyaa1a3, Shin-ichi Kanoa5, Akira Sawaa5a6a7a8 and Toshitaka Nabeshimaa1a3 c1

a1 Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan

a2 Division of Scientific Affairs, Japanese Society of Pharmacopoeia, Tokyo, Japan

a3 The Academic Frontier Project for Private Universities, Comparative Cognitive Science Institutes, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan

a4 Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan

a5 Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

a6 Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

a7 Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

a8 Graduate Program in Human Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Abstract

Administration of phencyclidine (PCP) is acknowledged to generate a model of psychosis in animals. With the identification of genetic susceptibility factors for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, great efforts have been made to generate genetic animal models for major mental illnesses. As these disorders are multifactorial, comparisons among drug-induced (non-genetic) and genetic models are becoming an important issue in biological psychiatry. A major barrier is that the standard mouse strain used in the generation of genetic models is C57BL/6, whereas almost all studies with PCP-induced models have utilized other strains. To fill this technical gap, we systematically compared the behavioural changes upon PCP administration in different mouse strains, including C57BL/6N, C57BL/6J, ddY, and ICR. We observed strain differences in PCP-induced hyperlocomotion and enhanced immobility in the forced swim test (ddY>>C57BL/6N and 6J>ICR). In contrast, there was no strain difference in the impairment of recognition memory in the novel object recognition memory test after withdrawal of chronic PCP administration. This study provides practical guidance for comparing genetic with PCP-induced models of psychosis in C57BL/6. Furthermore, such strain differences may provide a clue to the biological mechanisms underlying PCP-induced endophenotypes possibly relevant to major mental illnesses.

(Received December 28 2010)

(Reviewed February 07 2011)

(Revised April 20 2011)

(Accepted May 05 2011)

(Online publication June 09 2011)

Key Words:

Correspondence:

c1 Address for correspondence: T. Nabeshima, Ph.D., Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Meijo University, 150 Yagotoyama, Tempaku-ku, Nagoya 468-8503, Japan. Tel.: 81-52-839-2735 Fax: 81-52-839-2738 Email: tnabeshi@meijo-u.ac.jp

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