https://youtu.be/QH2vjvTS2Qk?si=QpG6oDBbS-Qdp5At
On 20 March 2019, Jill Silverman discussed using rat models to study neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism.
You can watch a full replay of the webinar above.
Here’s how Silverman describes what she talks about in this webinar:
Autism has no single underlying cause, and there are no treatments available for its core traits. Animal models are indispensable for investigating not only what might cause autism but also for developing effective treatments. Our laboratory investigates autism biology and traits using ‘in vivo’ models — awake and behaving animals that have mutations similar to those found in people with genetic forms of autism. The animal models we use need to be sophisticated enough to reliably reflect the social-communication problems, cognitive difficulties and other autism traits seen in people.
In this webinar, I will describe why rats are an informative animal model for studying the core traits of autism, including differences in social communication and in learning and memory. I will explain why work in rats can provide clinically relevant results. I will also demonstrate that, compared with other models, rats are more amenable to studies that involve in vivo electroencephalography, neuropathology and drug testing. Ultimately, rat models provide us with an opportunity to investigate the complex behaviors that define autism and have been difficult to consistently capture in mouse models of the condition.
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Video produced by Spectrum All rights reserved, Spectrum 2019.
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