Blog Posts Tagged: psychiatric disorders

(Un)social rats: the role of dopamine and the amygdala in social adversity

With optogenetics and behavioral testing, researchers found a link between infant social adversity and decreased social behavior in the circuitry of the amygdala.

Researching comorbidity in patients with autism spectrum disorder

Patients with autistic spectrum disorder also tend to have other disorders like epilepsy. Why is that and how can understanding that help us understand autism?

Unraveling the chemistry of mood disorders

The most common psychiatric disorders are mood and anxiety related. However, the underlying mechanisms of these diseases are still largely unknown. This complicates the development of effective treatment and drugs.

Why it is smart to test your animal in its home cage

Behavior of laboratory rodents is often studied in well-controlled, simple experiments, in an environment that is fundamentally different from the animal’s home cage.

Learning to use animal models for psychiatric disorders

Recently Lucas Noldus was interviewed for a technology feature in Nature; “Inside the minds of mice and men” by Monya Baker.

Zebrafish as lab animal increasingly popular

Zebrafish is the new rat. Or mouse. More and more rodents in the lab are being replaced by these nifty little striped fish. They are easy to maintain, reproduce and develop rapidly.