The loss of sensory input following a spinal deafferentation injury can be debilitating, and this is especially true in primates when the hand is involved. While significant recovery of function occurs, little is currently understood about the reorganization of the neuronal circuitry, particularly within the dorsal horn. This region receives primary afferent input from the periphery, and cortical input via the somatosensory subcomponent of the corticospinal tract (S1 CST), and is critically impo...
Routine health assessment of laboratory rodents can be improved using automated home cage monitoring. Continuous, non-stressful, objective assessment of rodents unaware that they are being watched,...
The social impairments of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a major impact on quality of life, yet there are no medications that effectively treat these core social behavior deficits. Preclinical research suggests that arginine vasopressin (AVP), a neuropeptide involved in promoting mammalian social behaviors, may be a possible treatment for ASD. Using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel study design, we tested the efficacy and tolerability of a 4-week intranasal AVP daily...
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by restricted, stereotyped behaviors and impairments in social communication. Although the underlying biological mechanisms of ASD remain poorly understood, recent preclinical research has implicated the endogenous cannabinoid (or endocannabinoid), anandamide, as a significant neuromodulator in rodent models of ASD. Despite this promising preclinical evidence, no clinical studies to date have tested whether endocannabi...
Abstract Injurious aggression in group housed male laboratory mice is a common welfare issue that can also negatively affect study outcomes. Often, one mouse in the cage appears unwounded, and the current standard practice is to remove this presumed aggressor. This procedure is not based on empirical evidence and may impede welfare by singly housing animals. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that the apparently uninjured mouse is indeed the aggressor, and that aggression is reduced in his ...
Research has increasingly highlighted the role that developmental plasticity—the ability of a particular genotype to produce variable phenotypes in response to different early environments—plays as...