Methylazoxymethanol acetate, MAM, is a neurotoxin which reduces DNA synthesis[1] used in making animal models of neurological diseases including schizophrenia[2] and epilepsy.

In rat models, the specific effect of MAM on neural development depends on the gestational age of the subject.

At the seventeenth gestational day (GD17), administration of MAM produces behavioral and histopathological patterns found in schizophrenia.

The locomotor effects of amphetamines and the spontaneous firing rate of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area are increased.

Previous studies have found impaired cognitive function in GD15 MAM rats, and a reduced seizure threshold.