Basic notions about animal modeling; Animal models to assess motor activity and exploration: open field and hole board task; Animal models of anxiety disorders: light-dark box, elevated plus maze, and social interaction; Animal models of depressive disorders: chronic mild stress, forced swimming and tail-suspension test; Animal models of cognitive disorders: step-down inhibitory avoidance, object recognition, Morris water maze, prepulse inhibition, and neurological scale; Animal models to assess the reinforcement and motivational properties of drugs of abuse: 2 bottle system (free consumption), conditioned place preference, binge drinking, oral self/intravenous administration of drugs, test for assessing abstinence after consumption/chronic administration of a drug.
Competencies and learning outcomes
- Understand the need for translational research as a bridge between the discovery of new therapeutic targets in preclinical research and the development of new drugs and their application in neuropsychopharmacology.
- Update, consolidate, integrate, and evaluate new knowledge in translational neuropsychopharmacology to improve academic, research, and professional activity using continuous self-learning techniques and critical analysis.
- Understand the relevance of the results obtained from animal experimentation in advancing therapeutic management of patients with psychiatric and neurological diseases.
- Possess and understand theoretical-practical and computer knowledge that permits designing studies in the area of translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Develop sufficient autonomy to join groups of basic and clinical research in the area of neuropsychopharmacology.
- Learn how to express the results obtained in multidisciplinary contexts in the area of translational neuropsychopharmacology orally and in writing.
- Acquire the necessary skills to develop academic, professional, and research activities in the area of translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Describe the methods and principles that must be applied when handling food in a translational neuropsychopharmacology laboratory.
- Know the most important brain circuits involved in the main neurological and psychiatric diseases.
- Learn the most relevant properties of drug-receptor molecular interaction and their involvement in translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Know the main tools employed in the evaluation of the functional activity of receptors and neurotransmitters.
- Know the main animal models used in the study of affective disorders, addictions, and the main neurological diseases.
- Learn to use computer and documentation tools for updating research knowledge in translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Learn to discriminate and compare scientific information for reviewing studies or developing research that helps to improve scientific knowledge of translational neuropsychopharmacology and make decisions based on scientific evidence.
- Promote continuous learning as a tool for updating knowledge related to translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Understand the general principles of translational research in neuropsychopharmacology.
- Learn to design and plan research projects in the area of translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Know and correctly apply the computer tools of scientific documentation and literature to develop research projects and scientific articles in the area of neuropsychopharmacology.
- Learn to design and conduct animal modeling research by studying videotapes of psychopharmacological practices.
- Learn to interpret the results obtained by carrying out animal evaluation models of active drugs in the central nervous system by studying videotapes of psychopharmacological practices.
Objectives (Learning outcomes)
- To understand and know how to apply the basic concepts of animal modeling.
- To understand and explain the animal models to assess motor activity and exploration: open field and dash with holes.
- To understand and explain the animal models of anxiety disorders: light-dark box, elevated plus maze and social interaction.
- To understand and explain the animal models of depressive disorders: model of chronic mild stress, forced swimming and tail suspensión tests.
- To understand and explain the animal models of cognitive disorders: step-down inhibitory avoidance, object recognition, Morris water maze, prepulse inhibition and neurological scale.
- To understand and explain the animal models to assess the reinforcing and motivational properties of drugs of abuse: 2 bottles system (free consumption), conditioned place preference, binge drinking, oral self/intravenous self-administration of drugs, test for assessing abstinence after consumption/chronic administration of a drug.