Animal Models of Virus-Induced Neurobehavioral Sequelae: Recent Advances, Methodological Issues, and Future Prospects

Converging lines of clinical and epidemiological evidence suggest that viral infections in early developmental stages may be a causal factor in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism-spectrum disorders. This etiological link, however, remains controversial in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marco Bortolato, Sean C. Godar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2010-01-01
Series:Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/380456
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849308138561339392
author Marco Bortolato
Sean C. Godar
author_facet Marco Bortolato
Sean C. Godar
author_sort Marco Bortolato
collection DOAJ
description Converging lines of clinical and epidemiological evidence suggest that viral infections in early developmental stages may be a causal factor in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism-spectrum disorders. This etiological link, however, remains controversial in view of the lack of consistent and reproducible associations between viruses and mental illness. Animal models of virus-induced neurobehavioral disturbances afford powerful tools to test etiological hypotheses and explore pathophysiological mechanisms. Prenatal or neonatal inoculations of neurotropic agents (such as herpes-, influenza-, and retroviruses) in rodents result in a broad spectrum of long-term alterations reminiscent of psychiatric abnormalities. Nevertheless, the complexity of these sequelae often poses methodological and interpretational challenges and thwarts their characterization. The recent conceptual advancements in psychiatric nosology and behavioral science may help determine new heuristic criteria to enhance the translational value of these models. A particularly critical issue is the identification of intermediate phenotypes, defined as quantifiable factors representing single neurochemical, neuropsychological, or neuroanatomical aspects of a diagnostic category. In this paper, we examine how the employment of these novel concepts may lead to new methodological refinements in the study of virus-induced neurobehavioral sequelae through animal models.
format Article
id doaj-art-142a1eb1f56e4202b0a249b5c16e8cb8
institution Kabale University
issn 1687-708X
1687-7098
language English
publishDate 2010-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases
spelling doaj-art-142a1eb1f56e4202b0a249b5c16e8cb82025-08-20T03:54:33ZengWileyInterdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases1687-708X1687-70982010-01-01201010.1155/2010/380456380456Animal Models of Virus-Induced Neurobehavioral Sequelae: Recent Advances, Methodological Issues, and Future ProspectsMarco Bortolato0Sean C. Godar1Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USADepartment of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USAConverging lines of clinical and epidemiological evidence suggest that viral infections in early developmental stages may be a causal factor in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism-spectrum disorders. This etiological link, however, remains controversial in view of the lack of consistent and reproducible associations between viruses and mental illness. Animal models of virus-induced neurobehavioral disturbances afford powerful tools to test etiological hypotheses and explore pathophysiological mechanisms. Prenatal or neonatal inoculations of neurotropic agents (such as herpes-, influenza-, and retroviruses) in rodents result in a broad spectrum of long-term alterations reminiscent of psychiatric abnormalities. Nevertheless, the complexity of these sequelae often poses methodological and interpretational challenges and thwarts their characterization. The recent conceptual advancements in psychiatric nosology and behavioral science may help determine new heuristic criteria to enhance the translational value of these models. A particularly critical issue is the identification of intermediate phenotypes, defined as quantifiable factors representing single neurochemical, neuropsychological, or neuroanatomical aspects of a diagnostic category. In this paper, we examine how the employment of these novel concepts may lead to new methodological refinements in the study of virus-induced neurobehavioral sequelae through animal models.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/380456
spellingShingle Marco Bortolato
Sean C. Godar
Animal Models of Virus-Induced Neurobehavioral Sequelae: Recent Advances, Methodological Issues, and Future Prospects
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases
title Animal Models of Virus-Induced Neurobehavioral Sequelae: Recent Advances, Methodological Issues, and Future Prospects
title_full Animal Models of Virus-Induced Neurobehavioral Sequelae: Recent Advances, Methodological Issues, and Future Prospects
title_fullStr Animal Models of Virus-Induced Neurobehavioral Sequelae: Recent Advances, Methodological Issues, and Future Prospects
title_full_unstemmed Animal Models of Virus-Induced Neurobehavioral Sequelae: Recent Advances, Methodological Issues, and Future Prospects
title_short Animal Models of Virus-Induced Neurobehavioral Sequelae: Recent Advances, Methodological Issues, and Future Prospects
title_sort animal models of virus induced neurobehavioral sequelae recent advances methodological issues and future prospects
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/380456
work_keys_str_mv AT marcobortolato animalmodelsofvirusinducedneurobehavioralsequelaerecentadvancesmethodologicalissuesandfutureprospects
AT seancgodar animalmodelsofvirusinducedneurobehavioralsequelaerecentadvancesmethodologicalissuesandfutureprospects