January 19, 2008

Doctors Create Schizophrenic Mice

It is reported that scientists have created the world’s first schizophrenic mice so that they could have a better understanding of the illness and be able to develop treatments. The mice were created by modifying their DNA to mimic a mutant gene first found in a Scottish family with a high incidence of schizophrenia. The egg cells of mice were genetically changed by injecting a gene associated with schizophrenia into their DNA. The eggs were fertilized and grown into baby mice using surrogate mothers.

The mice’s brains were found to have features similar to humans with schizophrenia, such as depression and hyperactivity.

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