The effects of electrical stimulation mediated by conductive polymers on in vitro models of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (Sz) is a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder with no curative treatment to date. Common approaches to studying Sz include post-mortem tissue studies, neuroimaging studies, genetic screening, animal models, pharmacological models and recently, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). While the studies have yielded valuable data in the field, each model provides a snapshot of Sz at different stages of its development; urging for a model that could better represent most, if not all, of Sz pathophysiology. Other than the development of a new Sz model, advance in the field includes enhancing existing models such as developing a 3-dimensional (3D) cell culture environment and interfacing cell culture with biomaterials and electrical stimuli. Electrical stimulation (ES) therapy for Sz is increasingly being recognised. Nevertheless, ES mechanism of action in ameliorating Sz symptoms at the molecular level is still obscure.