Targeted Gene Disruption in the CNS to Study Learning and Behavior

Methods : a Companion to Methods in Enzymology
S G N Grant

Abstract

Until recently, the mouse was rarely used to study the biology of learning and memory. With advancements in gene-targeting technology, which now allow the structure and expression of a specific protein to be controlled in the intact animal, the mouse provides a powerful new tool to explore cognitive function. In mice, in contrast to other organisms, it is now possible to regulate the expression of a protein in the same neurons that are electrophysiologically and biochemically manipulable and are in a circuit involved in a defined learned behavior. Mouse mutants have been described that alter synaptic physiology, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and behavior. The mutants provide the first opportunity to correlate these phenotypes within animals engineered with defined molecular alterations. This review will discuss a range of methodologies that are required to describe the phenotype of mice with synaptic and behavioral abnormalities and focus on the interpretative difficulties of integrating these techniques.

Citations

Oct 12, 2010·Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications·Mariana A ZampolMario H Barros
Dec 25, 2009·FEMS Microbiology Ecology·Philipp LinsPaul Illmer
Jul 28, 1995·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·L Y BourguignonN R Brandt
Jun 20, 1998·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·M P Holloway, R J Bram

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