Methods Flashcards
What is construct validity in animal models?
Similar cause or pathophysiology between the human condition and animal model. Inducing the same mutation in a mouse induces the same genetic problems/disease = a high construct validity
What is predictive validity in animal models?
Treatments that are effective in animal models are also effective in human patients and vice versa
What is face validity in animal models?
The symptoms of the animal model mimic the symptoms of the human condition. Symptoms in humans are referred to as phenotypes in animal models
What are translational behavioural tasks?
Training an animal to mimic a human test
What are naturalistic behavioural tasks?
Using a relevant intrinsic or innate skill or preference of the animal
What different behaviours would be interesting to measure?
Fear, anxiety, attention, depression, locomotor activity, locomoter coordination, sensory perception, learning, memory
What diseases or clinical conditions affect the brain and thus behaviour?
PTSD, schizophrenia, ASD, depressive disorder, BPD, Parkinson’s, Motor Neurone Disease, Huntington’s, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s, dyslexia, dyscalculia
How can fear be measured?
Cued or contextual fear conditioning
How can anxiety be measured?
Elevated plus maze/elevated platform/light-dark maze/open field
How can attention be measured?
Attentional set-shifting task, eg. Wisconsin card sort task/Stroop test
How can depression be measured?
Learned helplessness/forced swim
How can locomotor activity be measured?
Activity box or open field
How can locomotor coordination be measured?
Rotarod, skilled reaching, balance beam
How can sensory perception be measured?
Von Frey test, temperature sensitivity
How can learning and memory be measured?
Spatial memory, paired associate learning, decision making, recognition memory, working memory
