Honors Theses

Assessing the Behavioral Effects of Chronic Pharmacological SERCA Activation on a Mouse Model of Psychosis

Advisor

Pothitos M. Pitychoutis, Ph.D.

Department

Biology

Publication Date

4-22-2026

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a debilitating disorder characterized by positive, negative, cognitive and affective symptoms. Intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) homeostasis plays a critical role in a variety of cellular processes, notably in the regulation of synaptic activity. Dysregulation of Ca²⁺ homeostasis within the brain has been implicated in the pathophysiology of different disorders such as Alzheimer's, Darier’s disease, and schizophrenia. The sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ ATPase (SERCA) is a prominent Ca2+-handling player that sequesters cytosolic Ca²⁺ ions into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In the context of this honors thesis, our lab sought to investigate the behavioral and neurochemical effects of chronic pharmacological SERCA activation through the administration of CDN1163, a novel allosteric SERCA activator, on a pharmacological mouse model of psychosis. In the context of a psychopharmacological dose-dependent experiment male and female mice were chronically treated with three doses of CDN1163 (i.e., 10mg/kg, 20mg/kg and 50mg/kg) and were then administered an acute dose of dizocilpine (i.e., MK801). Locomotor activity was assessed in this experiment using the open field test and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to assess the neurochemical effects of selected drug treatments on the monoamine neurotransmitter concentrations within the brain. Overall, the current study provides additional insights into SERCA's role in the neurobiology of schizophrenia.

Permission Statement

This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.

Keywords

Undergraduate research

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