A major advantage of the endophenotype approach is that the neurobiology underlying SB may be translated successfully from humans to other species.68 Animal models or tests are designed to reproduce some aspect of the disease, rather than the disease itself, thereby excluding dubious anthropomorphizing. Thus, although SB per se will never be modeled in non-human animals, it may be possible to reproduce some aspects of the underlying neurobiology. Approaches used to validate animal models or tests can be grouped into three categories: face validity (do animals behave similar to humans who have the illness), construct validity (do processes that result in human pathology also result in the abnormal animal behavior) and predictive validity (is the model responsive to effective medications).70, 71, 72 A successful example can be taken from schizophrenia research. Modeling endophenotypes such as impaired prepulse inhibition and impaired working memory in rodents has been successful in schizophrenia research, in regards to understanding the neurobiology underlying the disease, assessing the function of risk alleles, and in developing novel therapeutic approaches. However, just as it is not possible for rodents to be ‘psychotic', it is not possible for a mouse to be ‘suicidal'.
