Animal Behavior Research blog posts

25 Apr
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
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!

20 Apr
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
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.

09 Mar
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
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.

03 Mar
animal behavior research
Other (Animal)
Dynamic winners and sluggish losers
We all know the phenomenon: some have it all. Look around a classroom and you see immediately who gets all the attention and who doesn’t, who are “winners”, and who are “losers”. Are we born this way, or do we learn it?

27 Feb
animal behavior research
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
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.

15 Feb
animal behavior research
Other (Animal)
To be ravenous or to be social
Prosocial behavior, a voluntary behavior to benefit another, is an interesting concept from an evolutionary point of view. At first sight it may seem logical to be social.

06 Feb
animal behavior research
Other (Animal)
Free-choice digital interactive enrichment and human-animal interaction
Great apes have fast reflex, gazes, and movements: The Observer XT’s features allow frame by frame coding and accurate data integration.

26 Jan
animal behavior research
Other (Animal)
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?

23 Jan
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
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.

13 Jan
animal behavior research
Autism Spectrum Disorders
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.