Genetics of Schizophrenia and Cognition

old_uid13191
titleGenetics of Schizophrenia and Cognition
start_date2013/12/13
schedule11h30
onlineno
location_infosalle de conférence CGFB
detailsSéminaire FBN. Invitée par Angelo Contarino, INCIA
summaryThe etiology of neurodevelopmental behavioral disorders such as schizophrenia is complex and largely unknown, with both genetic and environmental contributing factors. While several potential schizophrenia-susceptibility genes have been identified, effect sizes are very small and replication is inconsistent, likely because of the complexity of human polymorphisms, genetic and clinical heterogeneity and the potential impact of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. In this context, mutant mice bearing targeted mutations of schizophrenia-susceptibility genes are unique tools to elucidate the neurobiological basis of this devastating disorder. Using genetically modified mice for genes relevant to schizophrenia, we then employ a combined approach beginning at the behavioral level and culminating at the cellular and molecular levels. Cognitive abnormalities are core enduring symptoms in schizophrenia, dramatically contribute to poor functional outcomes in patients and currently represent a great "unmet therapeutic need". We then mainly focus our work on behavioral cognitive analyses and relative neuronal correlates. New hope for preventing and curing schizophrenia-related symptoms and its cognitive deficits can come from early detection and early intervention.
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