Locus-coeruleus norepinephrine system function in a developmental animal model of schizophrenia: the socially isolated rat
type: CreativeWork
description: Introduction: Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental disorder characterised by positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. Current treatment regimens fail to adequately address the cognitive and negative symptoms of the disorder. Social isolation rearing (SIR) is a well-established developmental adversity paradigm which is used as an animal model of schizophrenia and usually studied in male rats. Previous SIR studies have found attentional abnormalities in isolated rats in behavioural tests which correspond to the results of studies investigating the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia in patient trials. Isolated rats also display abnormal social responses which may be of relevance to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The primary aim of this study was to build on existing SIR literature by performing behavioural tests in socially isolated rats to address attentional function. Neurochemical investigations were performed on projections of the locus coeruleus norepinephrine system, known to be involved in attentional function, as research on this system is surprisingly sparse. The secondary aim of the study was to address the negative symptoms of schizophrenia using ultrasonic vocalisation recording to investigate the calling behaviour of isolated rats in response to a novel context. The study included both male and female rats so that sex differences could be studied in the context of social isolation. Methodology: Sprague-Dawley rats were weaned at postnatal day (p) 21 and randomly allocated to one of four housing groups; female socialised (n=50), female isolated (n=50), male socialised (n=38) and male isolated (n=38). Socialised animals were housed 4 per cage (single sex) and isolated animals were housed alone. Animals were weighed and cages cleaned weekly as part of a minimal handling protocol required for SIR. After 8 weeks in their housing conditions (p78-82) rats underwent one of two behavioural paradigms: three phase novel object recognition or ul…
abstract: Introduction: Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental disorder characterised by positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. Current treatment regimens fail to adequately address the cognitive and negative symptoms of the disorder. Social isolation rearing (SIR) is a well-established developmental adversity paradigm which is used as an animal model of schizophrenia and usually studied in male rats. Previous SIR studies have found attentional abnormalities in isolated rats in behavioural tests which correspond to the results of studies investigating the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia in patient trials. Isolated rats also display abnormal social responses which may be of relevance to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The primary aim of this study was to build on existing SIR literature by performing behavioural tests in socially isolated rats to address attentional function. Neurochemical investigations were performed on projections of the locus coeruleus norepinephrine system, known to be involved in attentional function, as research on this system is surprisingly sparse. The secondary aim of the study was to address the negative symptoms of schizophrenia using ultrasonic vocalisation recording to investigate the calling behaviour of isolated rats in response to a novel context. The study included both male and female rats so that sex differences could be studied in the context of social isolation. Methodology: Sprague-Dawley rats were weaned at postnatal day (p) 21 and randomly allocated to one of four housing groups; female socialised (n=50), female isolated (n=50), male socialised (n=38) and male isolated (n=38). Socialised animals were housed 4 per cage (single sex) and isolated animals were housed alone. Animals were weighed and cages cleaned weekly as part of a minimal handling protocol required for SIR. After 8 weeks in their housing conditions (p78-82) rats underwent one of two behavioural paradigms: three phase novel object recognition or ul…
author: Atmore, Katherine H
language: eng
date published: 2017
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:22:49Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24872