University probes gene link to brain disorders

Experts from Leeds University will test the behaviour of mice with a genetic mutation linked to the conditions to see how drugs affect hyperactivity, attention levels, memory, social interaction and learning.

Communication between them will be examined using bat recorders as it is beyond the range of human hearing.

Steve Clapcote, from the university's Faculty of Biological Sciences, said: "We don't fully understand how the drugs used to treat schizophrenia and some symptoms of autism work. If we can show they can affect mice with this particular genetic mutation, then it gives us a clue to better understand the illnesses and opens up the possibility of more targeted treatments with fewer side effects."

A number of autism and schizophrenia patients have been found to have mutations in a protein involved in nerve signals in the brain.