**4.1 Models with structural change**

To reduce glia in cortical areas in order to model changes seen in SCZ patients, an astrocyte-exclusive toxin, L-alpha-aminoadipic acid (L-AAA), was administered in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of adult rats. L-AAA triggered anhedonia in sucrose preference evaluation, anxiety, and helplessness in forced swim test (FST). Of note, these effects were not seen following ibotenate-triggered neurotoxic lesion of the PFC, highlighting the specificity of astrocyte deterioration in inducing the affective neurobehaviors. The toxin also influenced attentional set-shifting, working memory, and reversal learning. The influences of L-AAA seem to support the role of astrocytes in behavioral disorders due to dysfunction of the medial PFC. The limitation of utilizing this toxin for neurobehavioral exploration is progressive neuronal death and dendritic degeneration in the surviving nerve cells in L-AAA-treated animals [138, 139].
