ErbB signaling antagonist ameliorates behavioral deficit induced by phencyclidine (PCP) in mice, without affecting metabolic syndrome markers.

Schizophrenia is a severe syndrome that affects about 1% of the world population. Since the mid-1950s, antipsychotics have been used to treat schizophrenia with preference for treating positive symptoms; however, their tolerance level is low, there are numerous side effects, and only some patients respond to the treatment. Antipsychotic medications that are more effective, better tolerated, and with fewer adverse effects are urgently needed.

Decoding emotion of the other differs among schizophrenia patients and schizoaffective patients: A pilot study.

The deficit in ability to attribute mental states such as thoughts, beliefs, and intentions of another person is a key component in the functional impairment of social cognition in schizophrenia. In the current study, we compared the ability of persons with first episode schizophrenia (FE-SZ) and individuals with schizophrenia displaying symptomatic remission (SZ-CR) to decode the mental state of others with healthy individuals and schizoaffective patients. In addition, we analyzed the effect of dopamine-related genes polymorphism on the ability to decode the mental state of another, and searched for different genetic signatures.

Behavioral characterization of blocking the ErbB signaling during adolescent and adulthood in reward-liking (preference) and reward-related learning.

Adolescence is a critical period in brain development. During this critical period the seeking for hedonic activities is increased, and their activity signals are stronger than the regulatory signals of judgment and reasoning. We recently reported that alteration of ErbB signaling during this period led to elevated striatal dopamine levels and reduced preference for sweetness without affecting locomotor activity and exploratory behavior.