Models of Schizophrenia: Phencyclidine Disruption of Prepulse Inhibition (PPI) of Startle in Rats

Modern theories of schizophrenia implicate deficits in glutamatergic transmission in the etiology of this disorder. This unit describes an animal model in which a deficit in glutamatergic transmission is induced pharmacologically by the NMDA receptor ion channel blocker phencyclidine. Reversal of the resulting behavioral impairment, the reduction of sensory-motor gating as measured by prepulse inhibition, can be used as a method for evaluating novel treatments for schizophrenia.