Translating paradigms from clinical populations to animal models of schizophrenia

描述（由申请人提供）：拟设立的短期职业奖的目标是为申请人提供早期精神病行为表现方面的正式培训，这反过来将促进申请人利用精神分裂症动物模型进行研究的转化潜力。拟议的培训包括与导师的定期会议、精神分裂症课程、导师指导的文献综述以及参加以精神分裂症为重点的讲习班和/或会议。培训计划的一个关键组成部分是在障碍的早期阶段与个人一起工作的直接经验，观察诊断程序和关于结构化临床访谈管理的正式培训。此外，建议的指导研究计划将整合标准化行为问卷和眼动追踪方法，以评估早期精神病患者的互惠社会行为和显著社会信息的处理。该研究项目将为申请人提供对首次发作和超高风险个体评估社会功能障碍所涉及的挑战的独特理解，这些工具可以在以后的动物模型研究中使用。加州大学戴维斯分校是实施这一提议的理想地点，因为它提供了丰富的研究环境，在临床脑研究和基础神经科学方面具有优势，并且可以接触到已经建立的早期精神病患者群体。成功完成拟议的培训和研究计划将为申请人提供开发越来越复杂的神经发育障碍动物模型的知识和技能，并提供在动物模型和早期精神病临床研究之间建立持续合作的机会。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the proposed short-term career award is to provide the applicant with formal training in the behavioral manifestations of early psychosis, which in turn, will advance the translational potential of the applicant's research utilizing anima models of schizophrenia. The proposed training includes regular meetings with mentors, coursework in schizophrenia, a mentor-guided literature review and attending schizophrenia- focused workshops and/or conferences. A critical component of the training plan is direct experience working with individuals at the early stages of the disorder, observation of diagnostic procedures and formal training on the administration of structured clinical interviews. In addition the proposed mentored-research plan will integrate standardized behavioral questionnaires and eye-tracking methodology to evaluate reciprocal social behavior and processing of salient social information in individuals with early psychosis. The research project will provide the applicant with a unique understanding of the challenges involved in evaluating social dysfunction in first episode and ultra-high risk individuals, tools that can be later adapted for use in future animal model studies. UC Davis is an ideal location for the implementation of this proposal, as it provides a rich research environment with strengths in clinical brain research and basic neuroscience, as well as access to an established early psychosis patient population. Successful completion of the proposed training and research plans will provide the applicant with the knowledge and skills to develop increasingly sophisticated animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders and provide the opportunity to establish an ongoing collaboration between animal models and clinical investigations of early psychosis.