Altruism in rats, suspiciously human
A recent study by Bartal et al drove our curiousity to write this blog about altruistic behavior in rats. This study shows how this type of behavior is neurally linkend to the social functioning of humans.
Robust and reliable: Measuring anxiety in the Elevated plus maze
Screening of anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze becomes more reliable with Ethovision XT combined with the standardization of testing parameters and common practices.
WHY use a Y-maze? Automating learning and memory tests in rodents
Y-maze testing is exactly what you would think: a maze with three arms that maze rodents have to navigate on their way to food, shelter, or another reward. It is often used to test spatial learning, but why?
Vestibulopathy: movement and balance issues investigated in rats
It is hard to diagnose vestibulopathy, so a rat model was developed to study the progress of symptoms, from day one to day 30 after ear injury. Results can improve future human diagnosis and therapy options.
How behavioral core facilities advance research
Behavioral cores benefit universities as well as science in general. Recent cases show improved reproducibility of tests and protocols to assess a more complex phenotype of model animals.
Studying spatial learning and memory with Cincinnati Water Maze
Studying spatial learning and memory is important to develop treatment for Alzheimer's and other diseases influencing on orientation and navigation. One way to study it is with Cincinnati Water Maze.
The relationship between social hierarchy and social stress
Today, Deepika Patel kindly shares her research on social structures with us. She investigated rat behavior in detail, using several test paradigms.
Taking opioids during pregnancy: short- and long-term consequences in rats
Women worldwide are suffering from opioid addiction. Many receive so-called opioid-maintenance therapy using buprenorphine, but consequences for both mother and baby are largely unknown.
Assessing motor outcome in rats with peripheral nerve injury
At LBI Trauma, CatWalk XT is one of the most important tools to evaluate functional recovery in different animal models. Read more about what they found to be key factors when studying motor performance in rats with femoral nerve injury.
Decreased learning abilities in diabetic rats: Silymarin to the rescue
Silymarin is a substance that works as an antioxidant, is anti-inflammatory and increases BDNF levels. After supplementing silymarin to diabetic rats, typical diabetes symptoms were greatly improved.