Zebrafish are becoming more common as subjects in neuroscience studies of behavior and in screens for new treatments of behavioral disorders such as addiction, attention deficits and autism spectrum disorders. The fish are small and reproduce prolifically, making it easy and relatively affordable to house large numbers of them in the laboratory. In addition, theyContinueContinue reading “Refining zebrafish housing for more reliable results”
Tag Archives: behavior & mood
Deprived of females, male flies hit the bottle
The idea that a man slighted by the opposite sex might console himself with a stiff drink isn’t especially original, but showing that this social interaction and behavioral outcome occur the same way in fruit flies is a new development in understanding the complexity of reward behavior in the brain. Lab Anim. (NY) 41, 112ContinueContinue reading “Deprived of females, male flies hit the bottle”
Whole lotta squeakin’ goin’ on
Like many rodents, male mice (Mus musculus) produce ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) when they encounter females or the scent of females. The squeaks are attractive to female mice, which can discriminate between calls of siblings and those of unrelated males. These characteristics suggest that the ‘songs’ play a part in courtship and mating, but their contentContinueContinue reading “Whole lotta squeakin’ goin’ on”
Rats helping rats
Empathy is not among the traits commonly attributed to rats, but a report from scientists at the University of Chicago (IL) suggests that rats are indeed capable of empathic behavior. The study, led by Peggy Mason, is the first to demonstrate this behavior in non-primates. Lab Anim. (NY) 41, 32 (2012). view full text (loginContinueContinue reading “Rats helping rats”
Specific melatonin receptor promotes a deeper sleep
Insomnia or insufficient sleep is a common malady, affecting millions of people worldwide. Mammalian sleep normally progresses from wakefulness to non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) before transitioning to rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). NREMS is also called slow-wave, deep or restorative sleep because important functions such as memory consolidation and metabolic regulation occur during thisContinueContinue reading “Specific melatonin receptor promotes a deeper sleep”
Missteps in animal behavioral models of anxiety
Animal models of human disorders are often used for testing therapeutic drugs, but in some cases, the results fail to translate into clinically relevant treatments, a growing concern for biomedical research. Scientists are working hard to identify and address the causes underlying such clinical failures. Among them are Ehud Fonio (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot,ContinueContinue reading “Missteps in animal behavioral models of anxiety”
Synapse dysfunction linked to mental illness
Although mental illnesses are primarily considered human disorders, investigators have attempted to model certain aspects of these disorders in animals to facilitate study of the underlying mechanisms. In such studies, researchers have noted that gene mutations can elicit certain abnormal behaviors in rodents that are very similar to isolated symptoms of mental illness in humans.ContinueContinue reading “Synapse dysfunction linked to mental illness”
Cannabinoids prevent post-traumatic stress
Previous work by Eti Ganon-Elazar and Irit Akirav (University of Haifa, Israel) suggested that cannabinoids might have a role in treating stress and anxiety disorders. Recently, the two researchers specifically examined post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder whose hallmark symptoms include an exaggerated acoustic startle reflex and enhanced negative feedback on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.ContinueContinue reading “Cannabinoids prevent post-traumatic stress”
New cytokine, new role in colitis
The cytokines are a large, varied group of signaling molecules involved in development, immune responses and cellular communication. Dysregulation of cytokines has been implicated in depression, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In IBD, cytokines activate the immune system, causing chronic intestinal inflammation (colitis). But recent research led by Charles A. DinarelloContinueContinue reading “New cytokine, new role in colitis”
Gut bacteria ease anxiety
Benign bacteria such as Lactobacillus rhamnosa, a probiotic found in yogurt, can have mood-altering effects in healthy mice, according to a new study directed by John Bienenstock (McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) and John F. Cryan (University College Cork, Ireland). There is much evidence that commensal gut bacteria influence physiology in various ways but, untilContinueContinue reading “Gut bacteria ease anxiety”
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