Patent ID: 7767195
Filing Date: 2010-08-03
Classification: A61K,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An in vivo high throughput assay method for identifying a candidate agent having anti-psychotic properties comprising: a) adding an effective amount of neural activity blocker to a first portion of a hippocampus of an animal subject, said first portion of said hippocampus being substantially opposite from a second portion of said hippocampus having extra-cellular recording electrodes positioned therein for recording discharge of an ensemble of neurons; b) continuously recording neural activity in said second portion of said hippocampus for a predetermined amount of time before and after step a); c) administering a predetermined amount of at least one candidate agent to said animal subject either directly to the brain, or indirectly by oral administration or by systemic injection during a predetermined period of time either before step a) or after step a), depending on the candidate agent's presumed properties; d) measuring the number of neurons in said second portion of said hippocampus that discharge coactively after adding said effective amount of neural activity blocker to said first portion of said hippocampus and after adding said candidate agent of step c) to said animal subject; e) measuring the probability of neurons in said second portion of said hippocampus that discharge coactively after adding said effective amount of neural activity blocker to said first portion of said hippocampus; and f) correlating a decrease in the probability of neurons firing coactively as determined in step e) with a candidate agent having anti-psychotic properties.