HJERNE OG SKIZOFRENI

Skizofreni udvikles typisk over adskillige år. Symptomerne vedrører i reglen selv-bevidstheden og erkendelsesevnen. Der kan opstilles testbare hypoteser om sammenhængen mellem nervesystemets udvikling, kognitivt fysiologiske undersøgelsesresultater og forløbet af skizofreni. Med udgangspunkt i en arvelig/tidlig exogen biologisk fejl kan sygdomsprocessen forstås via sekundære patogetiske mekanismer på det neuroplastiske, det kliniske og det sociale niveau.Schizophrenia develops gradually over the course of several years or decennia. The fundamental signs pertain to selfconsciousness and concepts within the domain of cognition. Hypotheses can be formulated concerning the interaction between neurodevelopment, cognitive physiology and clinical course of disease. With a genetic/early exogeneous biological predisposition the course of disease may be disentangled into secondary pathogenetic mechanisms of a neuroplastic, a clinical and a social nature

Spontaneous Object Recognition in the Göttingen Minipig

Göttingen minipigs were tested in an object recognition procedure based on spontaneous exploration. Eight pigs were exposed to two similar objects in a sample trial and after a one-hour delay exposed to two objects, one familiar and one novel, in a test trial. The pigs explored the novel object significantly more than the familiar object in the test trial (p<0.05), thereby showing recognition of the familiar object. Furthermore, habituation of exploration of the familiar object between the sample trial and the test trial was found (p<0.05). The procedure can be useful for testing of spontaneous trial-unique memory in pigs

Chronic intermittent treatment with Clozapine: implications for development of vacuous chewing movements and electrical kindling

Intermittent treatment of rats with clozapine in two difTerent doses for 16 weeks did neither result in sensitization of oral activity nor in facilitation of seizure development in electrical kindling. The lack of development of dyskinetic mouth movements concerts with clinical experience, Cross-sensitivity between development of dyskinetic mouth movements following longlasting intermittent treatment of rats with haloperidol and electrical amygdala kindling has previously been demonstrated. The findings in this study contradict that eross-sensitivity between intermittent treatment with classical antipsychotie drugs and electrical amygdala kindling is the result of the lowering of seizure threshold of antipsychotie drugs. Instead the present results support the hypothesis of common pathogenetic mechanisms in the development of persisting increases in oral activity and in electrical amygdala kindling