Dysbiosis is associated with the behavioral phenotype observed in the triple-hit Wisket rat model of schizophrenia.

Comorbidities between gastrointestinal diseases and psychiatric disorders have been widely reported, with the gut-brain axis implicated as a potential biological basis. Thus, dysbiosis may play an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia, which is barely detected. Triple-hit Wisket model rats exhibit various schizophrenia-like behavioral phenotypes.

Distinct Effects of Olanzapine Depot Treatment on Behavior and Muscarinic M1 Receptor Expression in the Triple-Hit Wisket Rat Model of Schizophrenia.

This study aimed to characterize the triple-hit schizophrenia-like model rats (Wisket) by the assessment of (1) behavioral parameters in different test conditions (reward-based Ambitus test and HomeManner system) for a prolonged period, (2) cerebral muscarinic M1 receptor (M1R) expression, and (3) the effects of olanzapine treatment on these parameters. Wistar (control) and Wisket rats were injected for three consecutive weeks with olanzapine depot (100 mg/kg) and spent 4 weeks in large cages with environmental enrichment (HomeManner). The vehicle-treated Wisket rats spent longer time awake with decreased grooming activity compared to controls, without changes in their active social behavior (sniffing, playing, fighting) obtained in HomeManner.

Caffeine-Induced Acute and Delayed Responses in Cerebral Metabolism of Control and Schizophrenia-Like Wisket Rats.

Recently, morphological impairments have been detected in the brain of a triple-hit rat schizophrenia model (Wisket), and delayed depressive effects of caffeine treatment in both control and Wisket animals have also been shown. The aims of this study were to determine the basal and caffeine-induced acute (30 min) and delayed (24 h) changes in the cerebral fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) uptake by positron emission tomography (PET) in control and Wisket rats. No significant differences were identified in the basal whole-brain metabolism between the two groups, and the metabolism was not modified acutely by a single intraperitoneal caffeine (20 mg/kg) injection in either group.

Sleep-Wake Rhythm and Oscillatory Pattern Analysis in a Multiple Hit Schizophrenia Rat Model (Wisket).

Electroencephalography studies in schizophrenia reported impairments in circadian rhythm and oscillatory activity, which may reflect the deficits in cognitive and sensory processing. The current study evaluated the circadian rhythm and the state-dependent oscillatory pattern in control Wistar and a multiple hit schizophrenia rat model (Wisket) using custom-made software for identification of the artifacts and the classification of sleep-wake stages and the active and quiet awake substages. The Wisket animals have a clear light-dark cycle similar to controls, and their sleep-wake rhythm showed only a tendency to spend more time in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and less in rapid eye movement (REM) stages.