Behavioral Research Blog

Testing PCBs toxicity - behavior in zebrafish and their offspring

PCBs are synthetic molecules that were used in transformers, electric motors, and more applications. It was quickly discovered that these molecules are toxic, and subsequently, they were banned.

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.

Effective security screening and airport processes

Do you know this feeling? You are impatiently waiting in line for the security screening. There is a lot going on at an airport and the security screening is just one of the activities.

Standing cows

Does it matter how much time a cow spends standing up or lying down? Bert Tolkamp thought that it did matter, and he proved his point by winning an IgNobel prize for his work on this.

How zebrafish and optogenetics are great for investigating stress

By this point, we do not need to tell you how popular zebrafish are. We also probably do not need to point out the great technological advances that are being made in research because of the use of optogenetics.

Using CatWalk gait analysis to study monoarthritis in mice

Researchers are always looking for new ways to alleviate symptoms of arthritis. The CatWalk XT has been shown to be very useful in research involving arthritis in rodent models.

The effects of quantum dots on zebrafish larvae locomotor behavior

Ever heard of quantum dots? These dots are nanoparticles made of a semiconductor material, which have unique optical properties, making them of great interest for fields such as biological imaging, medical diagnostics.

A-bad-influence: Parent substance use disorder and child outcomes

Like parent, like child. Children become who they are with the influence of all of their past experiences and often, the parents are a large part of that influence.

Tracking a wide variety of animals

Video tracking is used to track a widevariety of animal species in even more different test arenas. From insects of 1 mm on leaf discs, to monkeys in a cage, or zebra fish in an aquarium.

To mate or not to mate? Females are less choosy when males are rare

Having a choice for a mating partner is extremely important for females, so they can be critical in choosing which male to mate with.

Vocalizations as an early life behavioral marker for ASD

One of the prominent features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is impaired communication. However, most diagnoses of ASD happen after the child is more than 3 years old.

Zebrafish research: behavioral differences between wild-type strains

Often in animal research, animals with a certain genetic alteration are compared to a “wild-type”. One might assume that there is no differences between wild-types, but many different strains of wild-type animals are used.