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Treating the Developing versus Developed Brain: Translating Preclinical Mouse and Human Studies.
B J Casey1, Charles E Glatt1, Francis S Lee1
1Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Neuron
|June 19, 2015
Summary
Understanding how brain development influences mental health across the lifespan, especially during adolescence, can optimize treatments for anxiety disorders. Cross-species research informs personalized medicine for psychological conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Brain development and behavior change throughout life, creating periods of vulnerability and resilience to mental illness.
- Adolescence is a critical period with a high incidence of mental health disorders, particularly anxiety.
- Cross-species research (mouse and human) offers a powerful model for studying developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the developmental course of behaviors and brain circuits.
- To understand how these changes relate to vulnerability and resilience in psychopathology.
- To inform age- and biology-targeted treatments for mental illness, especially anxiety disorders.
Main Methods:
- Comparative studies across species (mouse and human) focusing on conserved behavioral domains and neurobiological substrates.
- Investigating fear learning and anxiety across development.
- Utilizing genetically modified mice to model human genetic variations and their impact on development and mental illness risk.
Main Results:
- Identified characteristic changes in behaviors and brain circuits across the lifespan.
- Demonstrated sensitive windows for psychopathology vulnerability and resilience.
- Established links between fear learning, anxiety, and developmental stages in a cross-species context.
Conclusions:
- Understanding developmental neurobiology is key to optimizing treatments for mental health conditions.
- Cross-species models, including those with human genetic variants, are crucial for personalized medicine.
- Targeting treatments to specific developmental stages and biological states can improve efficacy for disorders like anxiety.
