Using the most well-studied behavioral analyses of animal subjects to promote a better understanding of the effects of disease and the effects of new therapeutic treatments on human cognition, Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience provides a reference manual for molecular and cellular research scientists in both academia and the pharmaceutic
Modeling Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Laboratory Animals serves as a guide for students and basic investigators in the fields of behavioral sciences, psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry, and other professionals interested in the use of animal models in preclinical research related to human neuropsychiatric disorders. The text focuses on the rationale and theory of using animal behavior, both pathological and normal, as a tool for understanding the neural underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders. Chapters contain discussions on both classical and modern views on the validation of animal models for neuropsychiatric disorders, also discussing the utility of endophenotypes in modeling neuropsychiatric disease. Subsequent chapters deal with four specific classes of disorders, including anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Final sections discuss the future for the development, validation, and use of animal models in basic and preclinical research. - Focuses on the rationale and theory of using animal behavior, both pathological and normal, as a tool for understanding the neural underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders - Serves as a guide for students and basic investigators in the fields of behavioral sciences, psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry, and other professionals - Discusses specific classes of disorders, including anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
The development of more effective treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders requires scientific progress on a broad front. Animal models have a vital role to play in advancing the field. When deployed in conjunction with detailed study of these diseases in man they bring the power to make controlled experimental interventions which allow the functional consequences of genetic variations and polymorphisms to be understood in terms of their cellular, systems and behavioural effects. Further, they provide a means by which complex cognitive and behavioural phenomena may be dissected and understood. Finally, they provide a bridge to understanding the effects of drugs on the functioning of the central nervous system, thereby improving our understanding of the actions of those drugs in man.
This book introduces undergraduate, postgraduate and research students and scientists to animal models of neurological disorders, along with their working principle and brief procedures. Addressing all the disorders related to the central nervous system (CNS) in a single platform, on the basis of various literature surveys it describes different procedures to induce a single disease with the help of toxins/chemicals. It also includes numerous protocols for inducing single neurological diseases, thus fulfilling an urgent need for a book that makes specific procedures for neurological disorders available, so that specific disease can be induced in laboratories according to the availability of resources. Further, it acquaints readers with the pathological changes that occur in a particular neurological disorder, which reflect specific signs and symptoms of any particular disease, and examines how they affect everyday life. It is a valuable resource for researchers aiming to eradicate or improve neurological disorders by testing the benefits of different drugs.
Major depressive disorders have recently been associated with impairments in signaling pathways that regulate neuroplasticity and cell survival. Agents designed to directly target molecules in these pathways hold promise as new therapeutics for depression. With the collaboration of the most prestigious international specialists in biochemistry, mol
Nervous system diseases and disorders are highly prevalent and substantially contribute to the overall disease burden. Despite significant information provided by the use of animal models in the understanding of the biology of nervous system disorders and the development of therapeutics; limitations have also been identified. Treatment options that are high in efficacy and low in side effects are still lacking for many diseases and, in some cases are nonexistent. A particular problem in drug development is the high rate of attrition in Phase II and III clinical trials. Why do many therapeutics show promise in preclinical animal models but then fail to elicit predicted effects when tested in humans? On March 28 and 29, 2012, the Institute of Medicine Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders convened the workshop "Improving Translation of Animal Models for Nervous System Disorders" to discuss potential opportunities for maximizing the translation of new therapies from animal models to clinical practice. The primary focus of the workshop was to examine mechanisms for increasing the efficiency of translational neuroscience research through discussions about how and when to use animal models most effectively and then best approaches for the interpretation of the data collected. Specifically, the workshop objectives were to: discuss key issues that contribute to poor translation of animal models in nervous system disorders, examine case studies that highlight successes and failures in the development and application of animal models, consider strategies to increase the scientific rigor of preclinical efficacy testing, explore the benefits and challenges to developing standardized animal and behavioral models. Improving the Utility and Translation of Animal Models for Nervous System Disorders: Workshop Summary also identifies methods to facilitate development of corresponding animal and clinical endpoints, indentifies methods that would maximize bidirectional translation between basic and clinical research and determines the next steps that will be critical for improvement of the development and testing of animal models of disorders of the nervous system.
Although depression has been long considered an exclusively mental disorder, this book highlights the importance of recognizing it as a systemic--physical--illness. The chapters herein present key findings from research on animal models before proceding on to examine the "allostatic" load that depression bears on the body, commonly observed patterns of depression, and illnesses that it is likely to adversely effect--through mechanisms other than that of non-compliance with treatment. The authors also explore various diagnostic dilemmas including symptom-driven, phenomenologic approaches, and discuss drug-drug interactions and the use of unique electronic health records as collaborating agents to the physician. Depression as a Systemic Illness emphasizes the need for the primary care physician to be the first agent to care for "garden variety" depressive disorders and the need to alter medical school and residency training to accommodate the development of the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes to fulfill this goal. Its unique approach and presentation of depression makes it a key resource for clinicians within the fields of both psychiatry and primary care medicine.
