Laboratory of Maja Bucan

Behavioral Genetics: The limited availability of appropriate animal models has hindered research in complex neuropsychiatric illnesses. Our approach toward identification of these models involves a) the identification of behavioral traits that can be modeled in rodents; b) identification of mouse mutants with anomalies in these simple behavioral traits; c) the isolation of genes that underlie these traits and the investigation of their relevance to the same or similar traits in humans. A random mutagenesis screen currently being undertaken in the lab involves analysis of progeny of chemically (ENU) mutagenized mice using a set of assays: "zero" maze (anxiety), rotarod (neuromuscular function), analysis of the acoustic startle response (sensory motor gating), wheel running activity and EEG/EMG scoring of sleep patterns (circadian behavior and sleep patterns). Several mutations with abnormal rest/activity behavior and two mutations with neurodevelopmental abnormalities have been selected for neuropathological examination, molecular genetic analysis and positional cloning.