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In this online course, learn how to critically evaluate the use of different behavioral tests for anxiety and depression in laboratory mice, and gain a better understanding of how these tests can affect the interpretation of results in the context of mental illness and human psychiatric conditions and mouse models.
This online course on behavioral neuroscience goes more in-depth on scientific research, in mice and humans, related to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Studying the human brain can be difficult, so neuroscientists often first use mice in research because of the similarities in neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurobiology. Explore the study of neuroscience through enrollment in this course and:
Learn how to critically evaluate the use of different behavioral tests for anxiety and depression in laboratory mice.
Evaluate how different behavioral tests can affect the interpretation of results.
Collect behavioral data from mouse videos from compulsive-like, non-compulsive-like, and randomly bred mouse strains; a mouse model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Develop an ability to analyze behavioral data and be proficient in the visualization of these data.
Develop an ability to interpret and discuss results in the context of human psychiatric disorders and human behavior and the mouse model of OCD.
Obtain a competency in describing key characteristics of anxiety and depression in humans and in animal models.
Develop an ability to compare and contrast compulsive-like, anxiety-like, and depression-like behaviors in mice to equivalent human behaviors.
Develop a capability to formulate original research hypotheses.
Obtain a competency in describing and discussing how basic research, as performed in this certificate program, contributes to the animal model of OCD and how it may have the potential to contribute to a better understanding of mental health, behavioral health and improving healthcare, quality of life and well-being and the biological basis of human behavior. This certificate program also will enhance your personal development and your professional development.
Learners who join this course should be free of objections to using mice in research.
Completion of NEURO1x: Behavioral Neuroscience: Foundations of Compulsive Behaviors and accompanying Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) training
Critically evaluate the use of different behavioral tests in mice.
Collect, analyze, and interpret behavioral data from mouse videos.
Establish a foundation in using behavioral tests in laboratory mice.
Develop ability to compare and contrast different behaviors in mice.
Understand the role of animal models in studying human psychiatry.
Q: Do I need to take any neuroscience courses before I enroll in this course?
A: This course is not an introduction to neuroscience; it focuses specifically on behavioral neuroscience research within the context of compulsive behaviors. It does not require an in-depth understanding of neurons, neuroanatomy, the nervous system, or human brain function and neuropsychology in order to successfully complete the course. This course does not cover neurobiology, cognitive science, or in-depth data analysis. NEURO1x is a prerequisite for this course.
Q: Are new mice used for this course?
A: No. All the mice were used in other courses and experiments prior to including them in this course.
Q: Do any mice suffer while participating in the behavioral test?
A: No. Some of the behavioral tests may have been stressful, such as the forced swim test or the tail suspension test. However, the stress was equivalent to what a mouse might experience while living in the animal facility, such as reestablishing a dominance hierarchy in a new and clean home cage.
Q: Are the mice killed at the end of the behavioral tests?
A: Yes. The mice were euthanized following federally required euthanasia procedures that minimize pain and distress. Most mice were used for several tests in order to reduce the total number of mice used.
Q: What happens if a mouse gets sick?
A: If a mouse got sick, it was checked by animal care and/or veterinary staff. If the illness was minor and treatable, it received appropriate care and was returned to its home cage. If the illness was severe, the mouse was euthanized following federally required euthanasia procedures that minimize pain and distress. Subsequently, the animal was necropsied to identify the cause of death. Causes of death usually included a tumor, kidney failure, a genetic anomaly, or an infection. Very few mice became ill.
Q: What happens if a mouse dies?
A: If a mouse died, it was necropsied to identify the cause of death. Causes of death usually included a tumor, kidney failure, a genetic anomaly, or an infection. Very few mice died.
