Spontaneous object recognition and its relevance to schizophrenia: a review of findings from pharmacological, genetic, lesion and developmental rodent models

• Published in: Psychopharmacologia Vol. 220; no. 4; pp. 647 - 672
• Main Authors: Lyon, L., Saksida, L. M., Bussey, T. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.04.2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acetylcholine receptors; Acetylcholine receptors (muscarinic); Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Animal behavior; Animal cognition; Animal memory; Animal models; Animals; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cannabinoids; Cognition Disorders - drug therapy; Cognition Disorders - genetics; Cognition Disorders - pathology; Cognitive ability; Communications equipment; Data collections; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine; Drugs; GABA; gamma -Aminobutyric acid; Genetically modified organisms; Glutamate; Glutamic acid; Humans; Immune response; Medical sciences; Memory; Mental disorders; Mice; neuregulin; Neurosciences; Pattern recognition; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Psychoses; Rats; Recognition (Psychology) - drug effects; Recognition (Psychology) - physiology; Review; Reviews; Rodentia; Rodents; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - drug therapy; Schizophrenia - genetics; Schizophrenia - pathology; Serotonin S6 receptors; Species Specificity; Time Factors; Translation; Novel; Dopamine; Memory; Schizophrenia; Neuregulin; Spontaneous object recognition; Glutamate; COMT; Animal model; Enzyme; Transferases; Catechol O-methyltransferase; Review; Catecholamine; Psychosis; Methyltransferases; Animal; Excitatory aminoacid; Neurotransmitter; Development; Genetics; Lesion; Recognition
• ISSN: 0033-3158; 1432-2072
• DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2536-5

Rationale Spontaneous (novel) object recognition (SOR) is one of the most widely used rodent behavioural tests. The opportunity for rapid data collection has made SOR a popular choice in studies that explore cognitive impairment in rodent models of schizophrenia, and that test the efficacy of drugs intended to reverse these deficits. Objectives We provide an overview of the many recent studies that have used SOR to explore the mnemonic effects of manipulation of the key transmitter systems relevant to schizophrenia—the dopamine, glutamate, GABA, acetylcholine, serotonin and cannabinoid systems—alone or in combination. We also review the use of SOR in studying memory in genetically modified mouse models of schizophrenia, as well as in neurodevelopmental and lesion models. We end by discussing the construct and predictive validity, and translational relevance, of SOR with respect to cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Results Perturbation of the dopamine or glutamate systems can generate robust and reliable impairment in SOR. Impaired performance is also seen following antagonism of the muscarinic acetylcholine system, or exposure to cannabinoid agonists. Cognitive enhancement has been reported using alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists and 5-HT 6 antagonists. Among non-pharmacological models, neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions and maternal immune activation can impair SOR, while mixed results have been obtained with mice carrying mutations in schizophrenia risk-associated genes, including neuregulin and COMT. Conclusions While SOR is not without its limitations, the task represents a useful method for studying manipulations with relevance to cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, as well as the interactions between them.