Modeling Schizophrenia In Vitro: Challenges and Insights on Studying Brain Cells

One of the challenges in studying neuropsychiatric disorders is the difficulty in accessing brain tissue from living patients. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness that affects 1% of the population worldwide, and its development stems from genetic and environmental factors. In order to better understand the pathophysiology underlying schizophrenia, the development of efficient in vitro methods to model this disorder has been required. In addition to several in vitro models, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) arose as a powerful tool, enabling access to the genetic background of the donor. Moreover, genetic modification of these cells can improve studies of specific dysfunctions observed in the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders, not only schizophrenia. Here, we summarize which in vitro models are currently available and their applications in schizophrenia research, describing their advantages and limitations. These technologies in the cell culture field hold great potential to contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia in an integrated manner, in addition to testing potential therapeutic interventions based on the genetic background of the patient.