Replacing rodents with insects in behavioral testing
In this blog we delve into the use of flies as a new perspective for behavioral testing. How do they compare to rodents? And can conventional rodent tests be adapted to insects?
Diving deeper: Obesity and Anxiety, a scientific perspective
It seems that there is a relationship between poor mental health and obesity. But the exact reasoning is far from clear. Animal experiments can shed light on the situation
Early-life stress and the onset of depression later in life
I had a chat with my old department at the University of Groningen to see what they are currently working on. Read more about their reseach into early life stress!
What is the connection between depression and rheumatoid arthritis?
Is depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis caused only by the pain, or is something else also going on?
3 high impact papers about measuring anxiety in the Elevated Zero Maze
The elevated zero maze (EZM) is a variation on the elevated plus maze (EPM) and was created to eliminate the center region of the EPM. This blog highlights 3 studies that use the EZM to test for anxiety-like behavior
A critical view on the Forced swim test
The forced swim test (FST), a staple in depression research, has been under discussion for a while. What is the FST? How is it used? And why is it under discussion? Here we share our view on this topic
Antidepressants during pregnancy: effects on offspring social behavior
Many depressed women struggle with this: can I use antidepressants during pregnancy? The lab of Jocelien Olivier studies the effects of SSRI's on offspring behavior in an animal model.
Depressed with a failing reward system: social stress disrupts brain waves
Chronic social stress has a huge impact on well-being. Gamma oscillations have been found to be an electrophysiological link between social stress and reward processing.
Is a unique calcium regulating mechanism a cause of Gulf War Illness?
Gulf War Illness (GWI) is potentially caused by organophosphate exposure. Through behavioral experiments, using a DFP rat model, researchers tested levetiracetam as a potential cure.
How to characterize behavioral phenotypes in a behavioral analysis facility
Introducing the Behavioral Analysis Facility. Researchers evaluate the behavioral and functional activities of new pharmacological drugs using diverse functional tests. Learn more about their recent projects.