POINT MUTANT MICE WITH HYPERSENSITIVE ALPHA 4 NICOTINIC RECEPTORS: DOPAMINERGIC PATHOLOGY AND INCREASED ANXIETY

摘要

The present invention relates to transgenic animals expressing a hypersensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Transgenic animals have point mutations in the nucleic acid sequence encoding the alpha 4 subunit of the receptor that result in increased sensitivity to nicotine. Such transgenic animals are model systems for nicotine addiction and certain types of epilepsy.