An alternative to animal models of central nervous system disorders: Study of drug mechanisms and disease symptoms in animals

1. 1. Attempts to produce complete animal models of human disorders of the CNS have had limited success. 2. 2. By having alternative approaches to the production of "true" models of CNS disease, animal research has been able to make significant contributions to our understanding of central disease mechanisms. 3. 3. One alternative includes an examination of the mechanism(s) of action of drugs which alter symptoms of disorders of the CNS. 4. 4. Another approach has been the study of underlying neurobiological mechanisms of individual functions which are abnormal in central diseases. 5. 5. This overview provides examples of research which have extended our knowledge about CNS disorders and outlines some of the difficulties in interpretation encountered when these approaches are used.