Seminar 7 - Animal Models

Question 1

Animal Reserach

Answer 1

Understanding of clinical disorders and treatments often comes from animal research
This includes mental health disorders

Question 2

Advantages of animal research

Answer 2

Experimental manipulations (cause and effect)
Ethical concerns with certain human experimentation
% of research conducted on different types of animals:
- Artio-Perissodactyla - 1%
- Carnivores - 0%
- non-human primates - 0%
- Ecotherms - 13%
- rabbits - 3%
- rats - 14%
- mice - 61%
- others - 2%

We can use animals because of evolution

Question 3

Disadvantage of animal research

Answer 3

Animals are not little, simpler humans -> extrapolation?
Ethical concerns with animal experimentation
How to measure ,rental health in animals?

Question 4

Animal model validity

Answer 4

Construct validity: underlying mechanism are similar
Face validity: symptoms are simile
Predictive validity: similar treatments can receive the symptoms

Question 5

Mouse models and anxiety disorders

Answer 5

Construct validity: underlying mechanisms are all similar
face validity: what do the symptoms look like (how to measure anxiety)
Predictive validity: does it predict anxiolytic effects in humans?