Animal Behavior Research blog posts
22 May
animal behavior research
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
The power of zebrafish in the study on Parkinson’s Disease
Zebrafish have proven to be a good model for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) research. They express several highly conserved genes that are associated with PD.
06 May
animal behavior research
Gait and Locomotion
Testing without stress: high-throughput phenotyping
The ability to recognize harmful situations and respond accurately is important for the survival of any animal. In order to respond to these situations the animal must be able to learn, remember, and alter its behavior.
22 Apr
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
Tracking zebrafish activity to study a key element in circadian rhythmicity
Zebrafish are a popular model of choice for many researchers, including chronobiologists. That’s because zebrafish rapidly develop their ‘inner clock’ (circadian system) – and because this system is highly light-entrainable.
16 Apr
animal behavior research
Other (Animal)
Observing monkey behavior – cracking the nut
We already know some monkeys display above average intelligence. One way by which we can tell is their use of tools. Studies have shown that capuchin monkeys use boulders and logs as anvils upon which they can crush nuts.
28 Mar
animal behavior research
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Zebrafish with Parkinson's
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is one of the main neurodegenerative diseases and many researchers are involved in investigating this disease and developing treatments
22 Mar
animal behavior research
Social Behavior
Connects some dots - cognitive impairment and cranial radiation
On a yearly basis, an estimated 20.000 individuals are diagnosed with primary brain tumors in the United States alone. About ten times that number of patients will receive treatment for primary or metastatic brain cancer.
12 Mar
animal behavior research
Other (Animal)
Beautiful birds and UV – What we cannot see
Don’t we all enjoy the variety and intensity of bird colors? Male birds have perhaps the most impressive color display in nature.
12 Mar
animal behavior research
Research Methods
How to get reliable results on object recognition using video tracking
In the beginning of this year I wrote a post about the Morris water maze test, a popular and well-validated paradigm to study learning and memory in rats and mice.
12 Feb
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
Zebrafish tracking to uncover subtle effects of embryonic alcohol exposure
Zebrafish are not the first species one might think of as being exposed to alcohol in their natural environment.
08 Feb
animal behavior research
Research Methods
Why it is smart to test your animal in its home cage
Behavior of laboratory rodents is often studied in well-controlled, simple experiments, in an environment that is fundamentally different from the animal’s home cage.