Question: Hello paige, this is harshita. The question I am willing to ask is: How will the change in mice's behaviour would affect world ?

Paige Chandler answered on 10 Mar 2020: last edited 10 Mar 2020 12:28 pm

Hi Harshita, thank’s for your question!

So my project is looking at mutations in genes, that could be linked to mental illnesses. I have mice that have a mutation in their genes, which is the same mutation that is seen in some people with schizophrenia.

I then run my mice through lots of tests to assess how they behave. We have tests that can test their anxiety, running endurance, memory, problem solving, sound processing, social interaction with other mice, reflexes, and lots more! When I’m testing the mice, I’m looking for behaviours that are different in the mutated mice, from how a normal mouse would behave. My mutated mice are already showing that they behave differently – they have problems with processing sounds, their memory, and how they interact with other mice. This means we can say that this gene mutation could be linked with some of the problems that people with schizophrenia have. We’re hoping that by understanding how schizophrenia can affect people, and what can cause it, we can develop better ways to treat it.