TY - JOUR T1 - <em>Disc1</em> Point Mutations in Mice Affect Development of the Cerebral Cortex JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 3197 LP - 3206 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4219-10.2011 VL - 31 IS - 9 AU - Frankie H. F. Lee AU - Marc P. Fadel AU - Kate Preston-Maher AU - Sabine P. Cordes AU - Steven J. Clapcote AU - David J. Price AU - John C. Roder AU - Albert H. C. Wong Y1 - 2011/03/02 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/9/3197.abstract N2 - Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a strong candidate gene for schizophrenia and other mental disorders. DISC1 regulates neurodevelopmental processes including neurogenesis, neuronal migration, neurite outgrowth, and neurotransmitter signaling. Abnormal neuronal morphology and cortical architecture are seen in human postmortem brain from patients with schizophrenia. However, the etiology and development of these histological abnormalities remain unclear. We analyzed the histology of two Disc1 mutant mice with point mutations (Q31L and L100P) and found a relative reduction in neuron number, decreased neurogenesis, and altered neuron distribution compared to wild-type littermates. Frontal cortical neurons have shorter dendrites and decreased surface area and spine density. Overall, the histology of Disc1 mutant mouse cortex is reminiscent of the findings in schizophrenia. These results provide further evidence that Disc1 participates in cortical development, including neurogenesis and neuron migration. ER -