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Neuregulin 1 Prevents Phencyclidine-Induced Behavioral Impairments And Disruptions To Gabaergic Signaling In Mice, Martin Engel, Peta Snikeris, Andrew M. Jenner, Tim Karl, Xu-Feng Huang, Elisabeth T. Frank

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Background: Substantial evidence from human post-mortem and genetic studies has linked the neurotrophic factor neuregulin 1 (NRG1) to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Genetic animal models and in vitro experiments have suggested that altered NRG1 signaling, rather than protein changes, contributes to the symptomatology of schizophrenia. However, little is known about the effect of NRG1 on schizophrenia-relevant behavior and neurotransmission (particularly GABAergic and glutamatergic) in adult animals. Method: To address this question, we treated adult mice with the extracellular signaling domain of NRG1 and assessed spontaneous locomotor activity and acoustic startle response, as well as extracellular GABA, glutamate, and …