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Exploring the cerebellum with a new tool: neonatal Borna disease virus (BDV) infection of the rat’s brain

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Abstract

Cerebellar pathology has been associated with a number of developmental behavioral disorders, including autism spectrum disorders. Despite the fact that perinatal virus infections have been implicated in neurodevelopmental damage, few animal models have been developed to study the pathogenesis involved. One of the most interesting in vivo models of virus-induced cerebellar damage is the neonatal Borna disease virus (BDV) infection of the rat brain. The present review describes molecular, cellular, neuroanatomical, neurochemical and behavioral features of the BDV model and also provides a basis for a new understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of cerebellar malformation and associated behavioral deficits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 618, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Kathryn M. Carbone, Mikhail V. Pletnikov & Timothy H. Moran

  2. Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Kathryn M. Carbone

  3. OD/CBER/FDA, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Kathryn M. Carbone

  4. LPRVD/DVP/OVRR/CBER/FDA, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Steven A. Rubin

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  1. Kathryn M. Carbone
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  2. Mikhail V. Pletnikov
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Correspondence to Mikhail V. Pletnikov.

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Carbone, K.M., Pletnikov, M.V., Rubin, S.A. et al. Exploring the cerebellum with a new tool: neonatal Borna disease virus (BDV) infection of the rat’s brain. Cerebellum 2, 62–70 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1080/14734220309425

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