“The most exciting part was when all the pieces of the puzzle fell together,” said the study’s corresponding author Scott Soderling, an associate professor of cell biology and neurobiology in the Duke University School of Medicine.

Overactive neurons in the front of the mouse brain, shown in green, trigger excessive release of the brain chemical dopamine, which causes motor abnormalities.
Credit: Soderling lab, Duke University

“Schizophrenia is complex at every level, from genes to brain to behavior,” said Soderling, who is also a member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences.  “When Dr. Kim and I finally realized that these three outwardly unrelated phenotypes (spine pruning, hyperactive neurons and excessive dopamine) were actually functionally interrelated with each other, that was really surprising and also very exciting for us.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150504120805.htm