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Elevated Plus Maze
The elevated plus maze (EPM) is a test measuring anxiety in laboratory animals that usually uses Animal testing on rodents, rodents as a Drug discovery#Screening and design, screening test for putative anxiolytic or anxiogenic compounds and as a general research tool in neurobiology, neurobiological anxiety research such as PTSD and Traumatic brain injury, TBI. The model is based on the test animal's aversion to open spaces and tendency to be thigmotaxis, thigmotaxic. In the EPM, this anxiety is expressed by the animal spending more time in the enclosed arms. The validity of the model has been criticized as non-classical clinical anxiolytics produce mixed results in the EPM test. Despite this, the model is still commonly used for screening putative anxiolytics and for general research into the brain mechanisms of anxiety. Method The test uses an elevated, plus-shaped (+) apparatus with two open and two enclosed arms. The behavioral model is based on the general aversion of roden ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buspar
Buspirone, sold under the brand name Buspar among others, is an anxiolytic, a medication primarily used to treat anxiety disorders, particularly generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It is a serotonin 5-HT1A receptor, 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist, increasing action at serotonin receptors in the brain. It is taken orally and takes two to six weeks to be fully effective. Common side effects of buspirone include nausea, headaches, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating. Serious side effects may include movement disorders, serotonin syndrome, and seizures. Its use in pregnancy appears to be safe but has not been well studied, and use during breastfeeding has not been well studied either. Buspirone was developed in 1968 and approved for medical use in the United States in 1986. It is available as a generic medication. In 2022, it was the 54th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 12million prescriptions. Medical uses Anxiety Buspirone is used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animal Cognition
Animal cognition encompasses the mental capacities of non-human animals, including insect cognition. The study of animal conditioning and learning used in this field was developed from comparative psychology. It has also been strongly influenced by research in ethology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary psychology; the alternative name cognitive ethology is sometimes used. Many behaviors associated with the term ''animal intelligence'' are also subsumed within animal cognition. Researchers have examined animal cognition in mammals (especially primates, cetaceans, elephants, bears, dogs, cats, pigs, horses, cattle, raccoons and rodents), birds (including parrots, fowl, corvids and pigeons), reptiles ( lizards, snakes, and turtles), fish and invertebrates (including cephalopods, spiders and insects). Historical background Earliest inferences The mind and behavior of non-human animals has captivated the human imagination for centuries. Many writers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vogel Conflict Test
The Vogel conflict test (VCT) is a conflict based experimental method primarily used in pharmacology. It is used to determine anxiolytic properties of drugs. The VCT predicts drugs that can manage generalized anxiety disorders and acute anxiety states. Conditioning Suppressing behaviour through punishment is commonly used to determine the anxiolytic properties of drugs. During the VCT, animals are punished by electrical shocks when trying to get either food or water. Therefore, the number of times the animal goes to get food or water decreases. When anxiolytic drugs are injected, the number of times animals go up to get food or water increases, even though the animal will still be punished. Procedure Experiments are done in a mouse operant conditioning chamber. Conditioning chambers are used to train animals to do simple tasks such as pulling a lever or pushing a button. The animals can be rewarded or punished for doing these tasks. The original method by VCT included 48 hou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morris Water Navigation Task
The Morris water navigation task, also known as the Morris water maze (not to be confused with '' water maze''), is a behavioral procedure mostly used with rodents. It is widely used in behavioral neuroscience to study spatial learning and memory. It enables learning, memory, and spatial working to be studied with great accuracy, and can also be used to assess damage to particular cortical regions of the brain. It is used by neuroscientists to measure the effect of neurocognitive disorders on spatial learning and possible neural treatments, to test the effect of lesions to the brain in areas concerned with memory, and to study how age influences cognitive function and spatial learning. The task is also used as a tool to study drug-abuse, neural systems, neurotransmitters, and brain development. Overview The basic procedure for the Morris water navigation task is that the rat is placed in a large circular pool and is required to find an invisible or visible platform that allo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hole-board Test
The hole-board test (HBT) is an experimental method used in scientific research to measure anxiety, stress, neophilia and emotionality in animals. Because of its ability to measure multiple behaviors it is a popular test in behavioral pharmacology, but the results are controversial. Concept The HBT was designed in the 1970s to mitigate the flaws of the open field test (OFT), another animal model that measures anxiety and exploratory behavior. Exploratory behavior requires a choice to be made to explore, but since the OFT is just simply a brightly lit area, the animal doesn't have a choice. The OFT also doesn't differentiate between locomotion and exploration. The HBT apparatus is an area with walls around it to prevent escape. The floor of the area is covered with holes. Over the years the HBT apparatus has become more complex. Modern devices are now monitored by computer and have infrared beams. The three common activities are head dipping, rearing, and locomotion. Head dip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long-term Potentiation
In neuroscience, long-term potentiation (LTP) is a persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity. These are patterns of synaptic activity that produce a long-lasting increase in signal transmission between two neurons. The opposite of LTP is long-term depression, which produces a long-lasting decrease in synaptic strength. It is one of several phenomena underlying synaptic plasticity, the ability of chemical synapses to change their strength. As memories are thought to be encoded by modification of synaptic strength, LTP is widely considered one of the major cellular mechanisms that underlies learning and memory. LTP was discovered in the rabbit hippocampus by Terje Lømo in 1966 and has remained a popular subject of research since. Many modern LTP studies seek to better understand its basic biology, while others aim to draw a causal link between LTP and behavioral learning. Still, others try to develop methods, pharmacologic or otherwise, of enhanci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elevated Zero Maze
An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train or el for short) is a railway with the tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast iron, concrete, or bricks). The railway may be a broad-gauge, standard-gauge or narrow-gauge railway, light rail, monorail, or a suspension railway. Elevated railways are normally found in urban areas that would otherwise require impracticably many level crossings. Usually, the tracks of elevated railways that run on steel viaducts can be seen from street level. History The earliest elevated railway was the London and Greenwich Railway on a brick viaduct of 878 arches, built between 1836 and 1838. The first of the London and Blackwall Railway (1840) was also built on a viaduct. During the 1840s there were other plans for elevated railways in London that never came to fruition. From the late 1860s onward, elevated railways became popular in US cities. New York's West ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GABA
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid, γ-aminobutyric acid) is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the developmentally mature mammalian central nervous system. Its principal role is reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. GABA is sold as a dietary supplement in many countries. It has been traditionally thought that exogenous GABA (i.e., taken as a supplement) does not cross the blood–brain barrier, but data obtained from more recent research (2010s) in rats describes the notion as being unclear. The carboxylate form of GABA is γ-aminobutyrate. Function Neurotransmitter Two general classes of GABA receptor are known: * GABAA in which the receptor is part of a ligand-gated ion channel complex * GABAB metabotropic receptors, which are G protein-coupled receptors that open or close ion channels via intermediaries (G proteins) Neurons that produce GABA as their output are called GABAergic neurons, and have chiefly inhibitory action at receptors in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tricyclic Antidepressants
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are a class of medications that are used primarily as antidepressants. TCAs were discovered in the early 1950s and were marketed later in the decade. They are named after their chemical structure, which contains three rings of atoms. Tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs), which contain four rings of atoms, are a closely related group of antidepressant compounds. Although TCAs are sometimes prescribed for depressive disorders, they have been largely replaced in clinical use in most parts of the world by newer antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRIs). Adverse effects have been found to be of a similar level between TCAs and SSRIs. Medical uses The TCAs are used primarily in the clinical treatment of mood disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), dysthymia, and treatment-resistant variants. They are al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of drugs that are typically used as antidepressants in the treatment of major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and other psychological conditions. SSRIs primarily work by blocking serotonin reabsorption (reuptake) via the serotonin transporter, leading to gradual changes in brain signaling and receptor regulation, with some also interacting with sigma-1 receptors, particularly fluvoxamine, which may contribute to cognitive effects. Marketed SSRIs include six main antidepressants—citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline—while dapoxetine is indicted for premature ejaculation. Fluoxetine has been approved for veterinary use in treatment of canine separation anxiety. SSRIs are the most widely prescribed antidepressants in many countries. Their effectiveness, especially for mild to moderate depression, remains debated due to mixed research findings and concerns abou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
