flies-fst

Replacing rodents with insects in behavioral testing

In this blog we delve into the use of flies as a new perspective for behavioral testing. How do they compare to rodents? And can conventional rodent tests be adapted to insects?
fish-anxiety-obesity

Diving deeper: Obesity and Anxiety, a scientific perspective

It seems that there is a relationship between poor mental health and obesity. But the exact reasoning is far from clear. Animal experiments can shed light on the situation
early-life-stress-and-the-onset-of-depression

Early-life stress and the onset of depression later in life

I had a chat with my old department at the University of Groningen to see what they are currently working on. Read more about their reseach into early life stress!
rheumatoid-arthritis-and-depression

What is the connection between depression and rheumatoid arthritis?

Is depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis caused only by the pain, or is something else also going on?
measuring-anxiety-elevated-zero-maze

3 high impact papers about measuring anxiety in the Elevated Zero Maze

The elevated zero maze (EZM) is a variation on the elevated plus maze (EPM) and was created to eliminate the center region of the EPM. This blog highlights 3 studies that use the EZM to test for anxiety-like behavior
critical-view-forced-swim-test

A critical view on the Forced swim test

The forced swim test (FST), a staple in depression research, has been under discussion for a while. What is the FST? How is it used? And why is it under discussion? Here we share our view on this topic
antidepressants-during-pregnancy-offspring-behavior

Antidepressants during pregnancy: effects on offspring social behavior

Many depressed women struggle with this: can I use antidepressants during pregnancy? The lab of Jocelien Olivier studies the effects of SSRI's on offspring behavior in an animal model.
depressed-with-failing-reward-system

Depressed with a failing reward system: social stress disrupts brain waves

Chronic social stress has a huge impact on well-being. Gamma oscillations have been found to be an electrophysiological link between social stress and reward processing.
calcium-regulating-mechanism-gulf-war-illness

Is a unique calcium regulating mechanism a cause of Gulf War Illness?

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is potentially caused by organophosphate exposure. Through behavioral experiments, using a DFP rat model, researchers tested levetiracetam as a potential cure.
behavioral-analysis-facility-rouen

How to characterize behavioral phenotypes in a behavioral analysis facility

Introducing the Behavioral Analysis Facility. Researchers evaluate the behavioral and functional activities of new pharmacological drugs using diverse functional tests. Learn more about their recent projects.