Bridging the translational divide: identical cognitive touchscreen testing in mice and humans carrying mutations in a disease-relevant homologous gene

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 14613
• Main Authors: Nithianantharajah, J., McKechanie, A. G., Stewart, T. J., Johnstone, M., Blackwood, D. H., St Clair, D., Grant, S. G. N., Bussey, T. J., Saksida, L. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.10.2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/378/2649; 631/477/2811; Adult; Animals; Case-Control Studies; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - genetics; Cognitive ability; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; DNA Copy Number Variations; Female; Guanylate Kinases - genetics; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Interactive computer systems; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Mutation; Photic Stimulation; Protein Biosynthesis; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - genetics; Science; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Spatial Learning; Translation; Tumor Suppressor Proteins - genetics; User-Computer Interface; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep14613

Development of effective therapies for brain disorders has been hampered by a lack of translational cognitive testing methods. We present the first example of using the identical touchscreen-based cognitive test to assess mice and humans carrying disease-related genetic mutations. This new paradigm has significant implications for improving how we measure and model cognitive dysfunction in human disorders in animals, thus bridging the gap towards effective translation to the clinic.