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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Brain Res Bull. 2017 Nov 11;137:53–70. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.11.007

Figure 2.

Figure 2

a, Diagrammatic illustration of the steps involved in the behavioral test paradigm for assessing social behavior after NMDAR hypofunction has been induced in mice. The test involves two separate phases: sociability test and social novelty test.

b, Bar chart depicting sociability test outcome in control and NMDAR hypofunction mice. Induced NMDAR hypofunction caused a decline in sociability behavior in WT mice treated with ketamine (WT/SCZ). WT/SCZ mice showed no preference for stranger 1 (S1a) versus the empty chamber “E” (n=10) when compared with the control (p<0.01).

c, Social Novelty: WT/SCZ mice showed no preference for S2 over S1b (n=10). As such, WT/SCZ group was considered deficient in social novelty when compared with the control (p<0.01).

d, Representative confocal images show a change in cortical tyrosine hydroxylase in behaviorally deficient mice after induced NMDAR hypofunction. Induced NMDAR hypofunction caused a decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase positive terminals in the PFC when compared with the control (p<0.05; scale bar=20μm). Arrow heads indicate tyrosine hydroxylase positive terminals in the PFC.

e, Bar chart depicting statistical comparison for cortical tyrosine hydroxylase expression in WT (control) and NMDAR hypofunction (WT/SCZ) PFC.

f, Representative confocal images show a change in striatal tyrosine hydroxylase expression after induced NMDAR hypofunction. WT/SCZ mice exhibited striatal hyperdopaminergia when compared with the control (p<0.01; scale bar=40μm). Arrow heads highlight the margin of tyrosine hydroxylase fibers within the striatum.

g, Bar chart illustrating the expression of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase for WT and WT/SCZ group.

h, Confocal images show vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT2) expression in the cortex. After induced NMDAR hypofunction (WT/SCZ), VGLUT2 expression decreased significantly in the PFC when compared with the control (p<0.01; scale bar=20μm).

i, Bar chart show a reduction in VGLUT2 expression in the PFC of WT/SCZ mice: versus the control.

j, Confocal images show a combined localization of GABA and neuron (NeuN) in the PFC. Cortical GABA expression reduced significantly in mice after an induced NMDAR hypofunction (p<0.01 versus the control). GABA positive neuronal clusters formed enlarged patches around neuronal cell bodies in the PFC of WT/SCZ mice (scale bar=20μm).

k, Bar graph demonstrating statistical comparison for GABA expression in the PFC of control (WT) and WT/SCZ mice.