[From gene to behavior, a new way for elaborating new psychotropic agents]

Traditionally, the screening of new neuropsychotropic agents started from the observation of behavioural effects resulting from the administration of a new chemical. Then, one tried to precise its mechanism of action. Since about a decade the way for discovering psychotropic agents tends to be inverse. It starts from the characterization of genes and investigates on their expression products which are new biological targets. Ligands for these targets are developed and then the effects resulting from their administration are considered. In this new strategy, we will consider the cloning of genes and their expression in cultured cells; the knock out of these genes by homologous recombination; the extinction of gene expression by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides; the concentration of behavioural phenotypes by selective breeding.