Introduction to Behavioural Techniques Flashcards
Why is there a need to measure the behaviour of a whole organism?
To see the result of new drugs on behaviour when treating CNS diseases to see therapeutic value and side-effects
What type of behaviours do we measure?
Fear, Anxiety, Attention, Depression, Locomotor activity, locomotor co-ordination, memory, learning, sensory perception
How might we test for Fear and what is it useful for?
PTSD and Phobias
Cued Fear Conditioning - buzzer then shock
Contextual Shock - more complex but only shock in certain environments
How do we test for anxiety and what is it useful for?
Anxiety is a product of all other behaviours
Elevated plus maze - 2 light/2dark - mice like the dark - more anxious mice will stay there
Anxiolytic drugs might cause mice to spend more time in the light areas
How might we test for attention and what is it useful for?
Schizophrenia and ADHD
Linked to memory - if you can’t pay attention you are less likely to remember
Attentional Set-Shifting Task - rats learn rules along the way - have to pay attention to bowl type, food scent, digging medium
first rule is bowl smell of lavender and so on
How might we create a depressed phenotype and why i this useful?
Bipolar disorder
Can’t KO genes for depression so have to create depression
Learned helplessness through forced swim or tail suspension
How do you test locomotor activity and how might this be useful?
Can be used to test effectiveness of a drug or to see if there are side-effects
Good for PD and spinal-cord regeneration where rats may be able to move but don’t want to because of pain
Activity box - measures movement through light beams and movement onto hind legs to explore environment
How do you test locomotor co-ordination and how might this be useful?
Rotarod - can it stay on top for regular length of time
balance beam with food - how often do feet slip off
How do you test learning and how might this be useful?
Morris Water Maze - relavent for AD
Radial Arm Maze - does it go back to original empty food bowl - working memory
does it forget that 2 don’t have food? - long term memory
Paired Associate Learning - not good for developmental disorders
How do you test memory and how might this be useful?
Spontaneous Y maze - chooses one arm and then when turned around will choose the new arm
Novel Object Reconition - should look at new things more
what, where, what where, what context, what where context
good for children and mice as they like new things
How do you test sensory perception and how might this be useful?
Von Frey Test - sticks that bend at different pressures, if hurts will lift paws sooner
Temperature latency for paw lick
What parameters are there for measuring behaviour?
EC/IC electrophysiology
Microdialysis - cannula to feed in drugs, sample CSF or replace CSF
Optogenetics - light to activate different neurons via activating rhodopsins - turn off PFC, does the animal still learn