Blog Posts Written by Gonny Smit
14 Aug
animal behavior research
Gait and Locomotion
How to let rats run perfectly
Letting animals walk freely in gait research. At Noldus, we strongly believe this is the way to go, so that is how our CatWalk XT system works.
06 Aug
animal behavior research
Research Methods
Mice in the spotlight: why you should perform your tests in a home cage
Mouse models are essential for neuroscience research. Many tests are susceptible to bias. Home cage testing provides a number of solutions.
16 Jul
animal behavior research
Gait and Locomotion
Behavioral effects of optogenetically induced myelination in mice
Myelination, the ‘ensheathment’ of neurons, is essential to the functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems. So it is not surprising that problems with myelination can lead to a number of crippling diseases.
03 Jul
animal behavior research
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
How to study ataxia
Ataxia is a common problem in Parkinson’s disease (PD), and many early onset Alzheimer’s disease patients (AD) also deal with it. Now there is a non-invasive test for mouse models.
23 Apr
animal behavior research
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Alzheimer's: prevent instead of cure?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a huge public health issue as it affects a large part of the aging population. Neuropathology is studied primarily in the end stages of the disease. What about prevention?
21 Apr
animal behavior research
Other (Animal)
Prof. Berry Spruijt says goodbye (but not really)
Prof. Dr. Berry M. Spruijt recently retired from his position at Utrecht University. I had the honor of attending the symposium that was organized to reflect on and celebrate his career.
15 Apr
animal behavior research
Gait and Locomotion
Gait research: let your animals walk freely
Researchers use different ways to analyze gait in animals. In what instances would a study benefit from a system that is based on voluntary walking?
17 Mar
animal behavior research
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
10 behavioral studies on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
This blog post features 10 interesting studies that use innovative techniques to study models of AD and PD and important underlying neuronal mechanisms.
12 Mar
animal behavior research
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
How Ginkgo biloba helps treat Alzheimer’s
Xu Liu and colleagues recently investigated the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on a mouse model for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
05 Mar
animal behavior research
Optogenetics
Motivation and eating: deep brain imaging in freely moving mice
Craving a snack, the joy of eating it. The part of our brain that regulates this is the lateral hypothalamus. An interesting targer for addiction and eating disorder research.