Olfactory cognition in mouse models of human disease

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In my lab, we are interested in understanding what changes in the brain are associated with the learning and memory deficits found in individuals with diseases such as schizophrenia or Alzheimer's dementia. We use animals, i.e., rats and mice, to study these disease processes. Rather than using pictures and words to learn about the world they use odour cues. Nonetheless, they are as good at remembering odours as we are at remembering images. Moreover, the parts of their brains that are associated with the processing of information are comparable to those of humans. We use "designer" rats and mice in our studies. These are animals that have been genetically or pharmacologically modified to have brains that model those of humans with schizophrenia or Alzheimer's disease. We have already shown that some strains of mice are able to remember information better than others and that most mice remember how to solve the same simple task at least nine months after they first learned it. We are currently assessing the ability of male and female mice of different strains and ages to learn more difficult memory problems. Ultimately, the results of this work may be used to help overcome the cognitive problems encountered by humans with these disorders as well as provide a better understanding of how the brain works.