A new animal model of the prodrome in schizophrenia. Enhanced Dopamine in Prodromal Schizophrenia (EDiPs)

精神科医生现在认识到，有患精神分裂症风险的人存在症状前阶段。利用新的脑成像技术，我们现在知道，在被诊断出来之前，其中一些人的主要神经递质多巴胺发生了变化。我们在动物身上开发了一种新的模型，可以在相当的年龄重现这些完全相同的变化。我们现在想了解大脑中更广泛的影响是什么，并尝试用新药阻止多巴胺的这些变化。

Psychiatrists now recognize a pre-symptomatic stage is present in people at risk of developing schizophrenia. Using new brain imaging techniques we now know that some of these individuals have changes in a major neurotransmitter, dopamine, prior to being diagnosed. We have developed a new model in animals, which recreates these exact same changes at a comparable age. We want to now understand what are the broader effects in the brain and try and block these changes in dopamine with new drugs.