Behavioral Research Blog

In the GrunbergLab in Amsterdam, I read Arnon Grunberg’s upcoming release. Two researchers hooked me up: sensors on my left hand, rib, chest, and of course the famous head cap to measure my brain activity.

Basil Preisig and his colleagues at the University of Bern, Switzerland, were especially interested in communicative development of people diagnosed with language disorders like aphasia.

Embracing the technological advances of the last decade, many health care professionals have incorporated information technology into their daily routines.

We live in a demanding world: the snort of an email, the squeal of a text, fare alerts, breaking news, SQUIRREL! What was I saying? Oh yes, we live in a distracted world.

We’ve all been there: close to the freeway on-ramp were several choices of the usual variety. I quickly made my decision, rolled through the drive thru, picked an item from the pictures provided, and hit the freeway again.

In a romantic relationship, it is undoubtedly important to show support when one’s partner shares his or her accomplishments and positive life events.

Adolescent mothers are tackling their transition to adulthood and the transition to parenthood. This is called the double risk for mother and infant, inherent in adolescent motherhood.

Fatherhood is a topic of high social relevance that attracts much public interest and therefore also the attention of scientists.

Having a behavioral coping strategy means that a person can regulate emotions and deal with stressful situations.

Communication studies have shown that breaking bad news is best be done immediately and with clear wording. What is the best step forward?

Zebrafish. This little fish is a vertebrate, and a relatively complex one. Looking at the major neurotransmitters and hormones that are investigated in neuroscience, they are as good of a model as many mammalian species.

Some disorders cannot simply be diagnosed with a blood test or tissue-culture. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a good example; its diagnosis relies upon behavioral tests and questionnaires.

Why do wolves howl? From research, movies, and even television series, we learn that wolves cry out to each other to facilitate the reassembling of a pack when members have strayed.

How to mark zebrafish without compromising their behavior? They may have just found the answer to this at the University of Toronto. Cheung et al. tried out a method using subcutaneous injection with dyes.

As humans, we help each other because it is the right thing to do. We help our friends and our family. And of course we help strangers as well. Right?

Anxiety. It is nature’s way to keep us out of harm’s way, so it is a useful emotion. At times, though, it can also be overwhelming. For some, it gets out of control, irrational, and even disabling.

Did you know that Alzheimer’s and diabetes are linked? Patients with diabetes have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and patients with AD show impaired insulin function and glucose metabolism.

If zebrafish are the new mice, guinea pigs might be the new rats. Guinea pigs differ from mice and rats, and that just might make them more suitable due to the fact that these results are more easily translated to humans.

If you want to get on in life, is it better to make friends, or should you trample down the competition? Maybe we can learn something from animals…

If you are familiar with neurobehavioral research in any way, you will know that variables like velocity and distance moved are important parameters in a lot of animal behavioral experiments.