Presenilin Associated Membrane Protein (PAMP), and nucleic acids encoding
this protein, are provided. PAMP and PAMP nucleic acids provide diagnostic and
therapeutic tools for evaluating and treating or preventing neurodevelopmental
and neuropsychiatric disorders. In a specific embodiment, mutations in PAMP are
diagnostic for schizophrenia. The invention further relates to screening, particularly
using high-throughput screens and transgenic animal models, for compounds that
modulate the activity of PAMP and presenilins. Such compounds, or gene therapy
with PAMP, can be used in treating neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders,
particularly schizophrenia. In addition, the invention provides PAMP mutants, nucleic
acids encoding for PAMP mutants, and transgenic animals expressing PAMP mutants,
which in a preferred aspect result in biochemical, morphological, or neuropsychological
changes similar to those associated with schizophrenia.