Scientists researching brain disorders
create super-clever mice
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[August 15, 2015]
By Kate Kelland
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have
genetically modified mice to be super-intelligent and found they are
also less anxious, a discovery that may help the search for treatments
for disorders such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and post traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD).
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Researchers from Britain and Canada found that altering a single
gene to block the phosphodiesterase-4B (PDE4B) enzyme, which is
found in many organs including the brain, made mice cleverer and at
the same time less fearful.
"Our work using mice has identified phosphodiesterase-4B as a
promising target for potential new treatments," said Steve Clapcote,
a lecturer in pharmacology at Britain's Leeds University, who led
the study.
He said his team is now working on developing drugs that will
specifically inhibit PDE4B. The drugs will be tested first in
animals to see whether any of them might be suitable to go forward
into clinical trials in humans.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Aug/15/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png) In the experiments, published on Friday in the journal
Neuropsychopharmacology, the scientists ran a series of behavioral
tests on the PDE4B-inhibited mice and found they tended to learn
faster, remember events longer and solve complex problems better
than normal mice.
The "brainy" mice were better at recognizing a mouse they had seen
the previous day, the researchers said, and were also quicker at
learning the location of a hidden escape platform.
They were also less able to recall a fearful event after several
days than ordinary mice, and as PDE4B is also found in humans, this
could be of interest in the search for treatments for brain
conditions as well as mental decline linked to aging.
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The experiments also showed that PDE4B-inhibited mice suffered less
anxiety, choosing to spend more time in open, brightly lit spaces
than normal mice, which preferred dark, enclosed spaces.
And while mice are naturally scared of cats, the modified mice
responded less fearfully to cat urine, suggesting that inhibiting
PDE4B could increase risk-taking behavior.
(Editing by Louise Ireland)
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