Blog Posts Written by Gonny Smit
13 Dec
animal behavior research
Optogenetics
Optogenetics - Shining a light on brains and behavior
Brains are complicated. We all know that. Like an entangled bunch of wires. Still, over the years, neuroscientists have been able to map out several brain regions and their functions in behavior and physiology.
29 Oct
animal behavior research
Other (Animal)
Tracking tadpoles – why video tracking is important in ecotoxicology
The study of behavior has proven itself to be useful in the context of ecotoxicology; the assessment of the impact of pesticides on ecology systems. It is a valuable tool in the risk assessment.
16 Oct
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
5 must-read articles on zebrafish behavioral research
I have been reading a lot about zebrafish research lately and I thought it would be nice to share some of my favorite articles with you.
11 Oct
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
Don’t dwell on it… dive into zebrafish research!
I recently wrote about other translations from rodent studies to zebrafish, such as the investigation of learning and memory and social behavior. Now it’s time to talk about anxiety and exploration.
04 Oct
animal behavior research
Autism Spectrum Disorders
The search for autism models continues - why rats are important
Autism (ASD) continues to be an important topic in scientific research. Although finding the actual cause of ASD is still years away, there have been several studies that point to a strong genetic component.
16 Aug
animal behavior research
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Drunken mice get aggressive on Alzheimer’s drugs
Will there ever be a cure for alcoholism? Well, some laboratory studies show that certain drugs might stop the cravings. But they might also cause serious side-effects such as aggressive behavior.
09 Aug
animal behavior research
Social Behavior
A story of dogs and dolls
When finding the right dog for yourself, you probably won’t choose an aggressive one, will you? You don’t want it to attack your friends, kids, or other dogs. You could try using a temperament test, but how reliable are they?
19 Jul
animal behavior research
Zebrafish Research
Sex preference and other social aspects of zebrafish behavior
Social behavior is a well-known topic of neuroscience research, since it is so often affected in psychiatric disorders. Think of obvious examples such as schizophrenia and autism.
05 Jul
animal behavior research
Gait and Locomotion
Time based relations in gait analysis
I have written two blog posts about static gait parameters. Now it’s time to talk about all four paws, and the time based relationships between them. If you ask me, we’ve been saving the best blog post for last!
28 Jun
animal behavior research
Gait and Locomotion
Going the distance - and why it matters in gait analysis
A footprint, that is. With CatWalk XT, you can extract a lot of information from just one footprint. In this post, I am taking it a step further by talking about the relationship between prints.