An automated system has allowed researchers to observe schizophrenia-related behaviours in mice in a more natural environment, which could support future psychiatric studies.
The IntelliCage platform uses microchipped mice and automated data tracking to monitor behaviour without human contact, helping to reduce interference in preclinical models of mental illness.
Researchers from Fujita Health University in Japan used the system to study mice repeatedly treated with MK-801 — a compound that blocks NMDA receptors in the brain, disrupting learning and memory — to simulate schizophrenia-like traits.
Assistant professor Hisayoshi Kubota, who co-led the work with professor Taku Nagai, said: “By using IntelliCage, we established an ecologically valid platform for the comprehensive assessment of schizophrenia-like behaviours.
“Our work may help refine preclinical animal models of schizophrenia, enhance translational research in psychiatric disorders, and accelerate the identification of novel therapeutic targets.”
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that can cause hallucinations, delusions, and impaired thinking, memory and social interaction.
Traditional animal testing often involves direct handling or specific tasks, which may alter behaviour.
In this study, the IntelliCage system recorded corner visits, nose pokes for sugar rewards, and water-seeking behaviour in MK-801-treated mice compared with untreated mice.
Treated mice showed increased activity and exploration during the first three hours in a new cage, but their overall response to sugar rewards remained normal.
However, after water deprivation, they spent less time competing for water than the control group — suggesting reduced competitive drive in a shared environment.
When the location of water rewards was changed, the MK-801 mice took longer to adapt — pointing to impaired cognitive flexibility, a key difficulty in schizophrenia.
The team said the system’s ability to capture long-term behaviour without tasks or stimuli could help standardise assessments in early-stage drug development.
Dr Kubota added: “IntelliCage may become a standard tool in preclinical studies, offering reproducible behavioural assessments that can enhance the screening and evaluation of novel antipsychotic drugs.
“Ultimately, this could contribute to the development of more effective treatments for schizophrenia, thereby improving patients’ quality of life.”
