Virus causes mental illness symptoms in mice


22:00 07 July 03
inserted a gene for a single protein produced by BDV into mouse embryos. Mice which grew up to express the viral protein in their brains were more aggressive and hyperactive compared with normal mice New Scientist: "100 per cent of people with severe mood disorders have the virus"

Only glial cells expressed the BDV protein. These non-neuronal cells are involved in forming and maintaining nerve junctions in the brain. That suggests the protein alters behaviour by affecting the function of these cells, says Tomonaga.

Major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia are also characterised by the dysfunction of these special support cells