Patent ID: 7521590

Claim:
A screening method for identifying a candidate drug for the treatment of schizophrenia comprising: 1) providing a first and second transgenic mouse wherein the first and second transgenic mouse comprise a homozygous disruption of the phospholipase Cβ1 (PLCβ1) gene in its genome, wherein the first and second transgenic mouse do not express PLCβ1, and wherein the first and second transgenic mouse comprise phenotypic behaviors associated with schizophrenia; 2) administering a candidate drug to the first transgenic mouse; and 3) comparing the behavior associated with schizophrenia in said first transgenic mouse administered the candidate drug to the behaviors associated with schizophrenia in said second transgenic mouse that did not receive the candidate drug, wherein a reduction in behaviors associated with schizophrenia in said first transgenic mouse as compared to the second transgenic mouse identifies the candidate drug as a therapeutic drug for schizophrenia.