Recently, monkey, pig and even dog have been used to establish neurodevelopmental disorder models due to their well performance in behavioral tests compared to mice. But the high cost of these animals and the sacrifice of the individuals really limit the study progress.

There have been numerous Cre-mouse models established so far to mimic the CNS disorders and to study the underlying mechanisms. For example, we can trace the neuronal projections using anterograde or retrograde labeling experiments. It's easy to sacrifice mice for pathology or electrophysiology experiments. However, the lack of higher cognitive functions weakens their use in behavioral tests.

How can we counteract the mutual strengths and weaknesses?

I'd appreciate your comments and suggestions!