Gonny Smit
As a Marketing Communication Specialist, I get to read, write, and learn a lot about behavioral neuroscience. I spend my days creating anything from videos and blog posts to website and leaflet content. Outside of the office, I love spending time with my horse, working out, and traveling.
Behavioral tests to select police horses
The personality of police horses influences how well they do in their ‘job’. That’s why personality tests are important for both animal and human welfare and safety.
Gait recovery and other effects: treatment of cervical myelopathy
At the Dr. Michael Fehlings' lab, they are on a quest to find out what exactly causes the lower success rate of delayed surgery in cervical myelopathy.
Time is of the essence in fish studies
You recently moved into your new house. How do you feel? How do you act in this new space? The answers may depend on how long you have lived there…
Social buffering in zebrafish
Shared sorrow is half a sorrow, according to the old proverb. New research indicates that social support is not only important for us humans, but also for zebrafish!
Fish live longer and are more active after eating “young poo”
Have you got the guts for it? Well, I hope you at least have the gut bacteria for it.
Isolated and stressed zebrafish as a model for major depression
Depression: a fifth (!) of us cope with it, making it the most prevalent psychiatric disorder. Prof. Gerlai recently investigated the interaction between mild stress and developmental isolation in zebrafish models.
Spatial and odor memory impaired mice – new model for Alzheimer’s
Plaques and tangles… those of you even remotely familiar with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will immediately recognize these hallmarks. But they are linked to familial AD, while sporadic AD is far more common.
How obese mice get moving
By a showing of hands: how many of you started this New Year with the resolution to get moving? Burn off those extra holiday calories, or finally really get in shape?
How optogenetics is used to study the stress response in zebrafish larvae
Stress might seem like a bad word, but it does have its perks. A recent study by Rodrigo J. De Marco uncovered the role of the pituitary in zebrafish larvae behavior after the onset of stress.
Autistic mice have motor learning difficulties specific to the cerebellum
Autism is often associated with social behavior deficits and repetitive behaviors. However, motor abnormalities are also a part of the behavioral spectrum. Recent studies have implicated the cerebellum.