Mouse model of schizophrenia featuring cognitive impairment
Reversal effect of Vortioxetine

Newsletter # 83


Animal models


Phencycline (PCP) is a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist originally developed as an intravenous anesthetic, but it was taken off the market due to its side effects. Indeed, PCP induces schizophrenia-like symptoms including cognitive dysfunction and positive and negative symptoms. In PCP abusers, drug induced psychosis may last for several days to weeks.
Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of schizophrenia and is thus a pivotal parameter for prognosis and outcome prediction in schizophrenia. However, there are no currently available licensed drugs for the treatment of cognitive impairment in Schizophrenia.

NEUROFIT implements a cognitive deficit model in mice based on repetitive administration of PCP. Like in PCP abusers, mice experience cognitive deficit 3 days after the withdrawal of PCP. The model responds well to cognitive enhancers such as nicotine or donepezil.




  • ■ Vortioxetine is a multimodal treatment for Major Depression Disorder and has shown therapeutic benefit as adjunctive treatment in schizophrenia patients.

    ■ NEUROFIT data show that acute treatment with Vortioxetine dose-dependently reverses the cognitive deficit of mice induced by repeated PCP treatment.

  • The graph shows the cognitive deficit induced by subchronic treatment with PCP in mice. The deficit is evidenced by the significant decrease in the spontaneous alternation of mice in the T-maze test (white vs red column). The administration of Vortioxetine dose-dependently improves the spontaneous alternation performance of PCP mice, hence their cognitive ability (red vs blue columns).
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NEUROFIT offers a range of validated in vitro and in vivo screening tests for psychiatry and neurology.

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