Histomorphological, biochemical and behavioral profile of animal models of schizophrenia

The presented work focuses on the animal models of schizophrenia. The general part is dedicated to describing histomorphological and biochemical changes in patients with schizophrenia and basic classification and description of animal models of schizophrenia. The results of 3 studies that deal with histomorphological, biochemical and behavioral abnormalities in the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia and in the pharmacological model of schizophrenia induced by the administration of substances that affect the serotonergic system are presented in the special part. In the study No. 1 we demonstrated that the early immune stimulation in rats leads in adulthood to changes in the brain and plasma levels of neurotransmitters and their metabolites, activation of kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism, hypertrophy of astrocytes, reduction of hippocampal volume and decrease of tyrosinhydroxylase immunoreactivity in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The findings of this study support the hypothesis of an important pathophysiological role of the early immune stimulation in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. In the study No. 2 we verified the application of tryptamine (psilocin) and phenylethylamine (mescaline) hallucinogen as phenomenologically valid animal model of schizophrenia...