Analysing brain function and dysfunction in transgenic animals

Many neuropsychiatric disorders have a genetic aetiology. In vivo gene modification offers a route to simulating such disorders in transgenic animals, allowing a systematic study of the underlying pathophysiology. However, attempts to mimic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease in transgenic animals have not yet been successful. This principally reflects our lack of knowledge concerning normal brain function, and an understanding of the biochemical mechanisms underlying cognitive processes is a primary objective. We and others have therefore focused on the hippocampus, a brain region involved in learning and memory and an early target for degeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Genetic intervention to date has yielded transgenic animals with apparent functional deficits in the hippocampus, leading the way to a greater understanding of brain function.