Using Transgenic Mice to Probe the Role of Specific Genes in Behavior

Abstract

This chapter will describe transgenic techniques that permit experimental manipulation of gene expression in the mouse. These techniques create specific and permanent changes to the germline of experimental mice, and these strategies have been fruitfully applied to the study of oncology, immunology, development, and more recently neurobiology and behavior. Specifically, in the area of neurobiology, modification of gene expression in the mouse has permitted direct assessment of the role of specific genes in the development of neural physiologic processes and in regulating behavior. Since this technique and its application to mouse behavior may seem far removed from the subject of human psychiatric disorders, we will first begin with a review of some basic concepts in molecular biology, followed by a brief introduction that will place the transgenic mouse strategy in the context of other genetic approaches to studying behavior.