Experimental Methods for Functional Studies of microRNAs in Animal Models of Psychiatric Disorders

2016 ◽  
pp. 129-146
Author(s):  
Vladimir Jovasevic ◽  
Jelena Radulovic
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Experimental Methods ◽  
Functional Studies

scholarly journals Foraging with the frontal cortex: A cross-species evaluation of reward-guided behavior

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Rudebeck ◽  
Alicia Izquierdo
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
And Function ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Intense Debate

AbstractEfficient foraging is essential to survival and depends on frontal cortex in mammals. Because of its role in psychiatric disorders, frontal cortex and its contributions to reward procurement have been studied extensively in both rodents and non-human primates. How frontal cortex of these animal models compares is a source of intense debate. Here we argue that translating findings from rodents to non-human primates requires an appreciation of both the niche in which each animal forages as well as the similarities in frontal cortex anatomy and function. Consequently, we highlight similarities and differences in behavior and anatomy, before focusing on points of convergence in how parts of frontal cortex contribute to distinct aspects of foraging in rats and macaques, more specifically. In doing so, our aim is to emphasize where translation of frontal cortex function between species is clearer, where there is divergence, and where future work should focus. We finish by highlighting aspects of foraging for which have received less attention but we believe are critical to uncovering how frontal cortex promotes survival in each species.

scholarly journals Are Circadian Disturbances a Core Pathophysiological Component of Schizophrenia?

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-339
Author(s):  
Tara C. Delorme ◽  
Lalit K. Srivastava ◽  
Nicolas Cermakian
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Genetic Variations ◽  
Human Studies ◽  
Genetic Mutations ◽  
Fundamental Component

Schizophrenia is a multifactorial disorder caused by a combination of genetic variations and exposure to environmental insults. Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances are a prominent and ubiquitous feature of many psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. There is growing interest in uncovering the mechanistic link between schizophrenia and circadian rhythms, which may directly affect disorder outcomes. In this review, we explore the interaction between schizophrenia and circadian rhythms from 2 complementary angles. First, we review evidence that sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances constitute a fundamental component of schizophrenia, as supported by both human studies and animal models with genetic mutations related to schizophrenia. Second, we discuss the idea that circadian rhythm disruption interacts with existing risk factors for schizophrenia to promote schizophrenia-relevant behavioral and neurobiological abnormalities. Understanding the mechanistic link between schizophrenia and circadian rhythms will have implications for mitigating risk to the disorder and informing the development of circadian-based therapies.

scholarly journals Metabolomics in Psychiatric Disorders: What We Learn from Animal Models

Metabolites ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke Humer ◽  
Thomas Probst ◽  
Christoph Pieh
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Mood Stabilizers ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Mitochondrial Regulation ◽  
Novel Treatment Strategies ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Test Treatment

Biomarkers are a recent research target within biological factors of psychiatric disorders. There is growing evidence for deriving biomarkers within psychiatric disorders in serum or urine samples in humans, however, few studies have investigated this differentiation in brain or cerebral fluid samples in psychiatric disorders. As brain samples from humans are only available at autopsy, animal models are commonly applied to determine the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases and to test treatment strategies. The aim of this review is to summarize studies on biomarkers in animal models for psychiatric disorders. For depression, anxiety and addiction disorders studies, biomarkers in animal brains are available. Furthermore, several studies have investigated psychiatric medication, e.g., antipsychotics, antidepressants, or mood stabilizers, in animals. The most notable changes in biomarkers in depressed animal models were related to the glutamate-γ-aminobutyric acid-glutamine-cycle. In anxiety models, alterations in amino acid and energy metabolism (i.e., mitochondrial regulation) were observed. Addicted animals showed several biomarkers according to the induced drugs. In summary, animal models provide some direct insights into the cellular metabolites that are produced during psychiatric processes. In addition, the influence on biomarkers due to short- or long-term medication is a noticeable finding. Further studies should combine representative animal models and human studies on cerebral fluid to improve insight into mental disorders and advance the development of novel treatment strategies.

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