Tremors are involuntary and rhythmic movements that can happen in the hands, legs, head, or voice. They can occur in the body for several reasons, including excess caffeine, stress, or as a result of an underlying neurological condition such as Parkinson’s disease. Monitoring tremors in small animals, especially mice and rats, has long been conducted, as it helps researchers gain a deeper understanding of how tremors start and what potential treatments could be developed. In this blog post, we will examine the importance of tremor monitoring and what can be learned from it. Continue reading “What Can We Learn From Tremor Monitoring in Mice?”
Month: April 2023
Active & Passive Avoidance Learning in Mice: What’s the Difference?
Avoidance learning can be described as a component of an organism’s survival instinct, as they develop a response to avoid a harmful or unpleasant stimulus before it occurs. Once the organism has experienced an unpleasant stimulus, it can begin to recognize when it is about to happen and escape the situation or determine which behaviors can prevent the unwanted impact. For example, if a human notices a specific setting is too loud, they may wear earplugs before entering or avoid the place altogether. In mice, if a shock follows a specific noise, eventually, they will learn to escape as soon as they hear the noise. Continue reading “Active & Passive Avoidance Learning in Mice: What’s the Difference?”
How Is Acoustic Startle Response In Mice Quantified?
The acoustic startle response is an unconditional reflex that involves quick movements of facial and skeletal muscles in response to sudden, startling stimuli such as light or noise. In mice, monitoring acoustic startle response is crucial to understanding more about the central nervous system (CNS) and includes classical conditioning, fear, habituation, and sensorimotor gating. To quantify this response, researchers use a startle chamber to trigger a stimulus and monitor the mouse’s anxiety, fear, and stress levels. In this blog post, we examine how acoustic startle response in mice is quantified and why this is important. Continue reading “How Is Acoustic Startle Response In Mice Quantified?”
What is Startle Response Habituation?
The startle response is a sudden, reflex-like response to something unexpected or sudden, such as a bright light or loud noise. It is an unlearned and mainly unconscious defense mechanism that animals and humans have, occurring when a stimulus startles someone or something. Startle response is a series of skeletomuscular contractions commonly measured by eyeblinks in humans and full or partial muscle contractions in rodents, displayed through head, neck, back, paw, or tail movements, but it can also be viewed in the face as a look of fear1. In a startle response, the facial and skeletal muscles react within a few milliseconds. Continue reading “What is Startle Response Habituation?”