Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a chronic and disabling mental disorder that affects 1% of the world’s population. Neither environment nor genetics alone are sufficient to cause SCZ. Rodent models for SCZ susceptibility genes (e.g. neuregulin 1 gene) are capable of partially modelling its aetiology and clarify the impact of these genes on behaviour and brain development. However, to model SCZ in its full complexity, it is important to develop multi-factorial animal models combining genetic and environmental SCZ risk factors (e.g. chronic cannabis abuse). Our team focuses on the neuro-behavioural characterisation of these models, applying a multitude of different behavioural phenotyping paradigms.
