Disease Models
Animal Models and Apparatus of Sleep Disorders
June 16, 2023
Sleep problems affect a significant portion of the population, with over half of people in the United States reporting difficulties with sleep or excessive…
Maximum Volume of Oxygen (VO2) Testing in Rodents
February 8, 2023
Maximum volume of oxygen (VO2max) is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can consume during exercise. VO2max is expressed in…

Rodent Models of Social Anxiety Disorders
November 19, 2021
Fear is something we try to do without in life – which is also the very reason they exist, to provide salient physical and psychological cues and help us…

Animal Models of Migraine Headaches
August 16, 2021
Migraines are best known for their severe, pulsating headaches, along with more variable associated symptoms such as hypersensitivity to lights and sounds,…
Neurological disease models are essentially experimental systems that can reproduce key features of neurological disease as seen in humans. They enable progress in scientific research. But, how are neurological disease models created and used in neuroscience and behavioral research? In this resource section, we cover the methods, ways, and behaviors associated with neurological disease models, as well as the assessments used for those particular disease models. Featured neurological disease topics range from seizures to PTSD to depression.
For related content, refer to our detailed articles on:
- Non-Neurological Disease Models: Non-neurological diseases can also affect behaviors. Here, we highlight the many non-neurological disease models used in neuroscience research.
- Animal Models: See how different types of animals, like sheep and pigs, are used in animal research and what they can teach us about behavioral neuroscience.
- Nutrition and Drugs: Browse through our growing catalog of nutrition and drugs where we explore the relationship between them and behavior. In many cases, disease models are also mentioned.
- Complex Behaviors: Learn how more complex behaviors, one which involve high levels of cognition, are modeled in animals. Topics covered include: meditation, vacation, modeling adolescence in mice, modeling sleep deprivation, and more.

Aging as a Disease Model and Therapeutic Target for Neurodegenerative Diseases
March 31, 2020
Aging is the progressive degeneration of physiological structure and function. Although people are living longer on average (thanks to improved medical…

Animal models of schizophrenia
January 14, 2020
Introduction to Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that is not only debilitating to the patient but also a heavy disease burden for the…

Rodent Models of Addiction
May 27, 2019
Introduction What is Drug Addiction? Despite the various mechanisms of action of the many abusable drugs, drug addiction looks largely the same from a…

Animal Models of Narcolepsy
May 23, 2019
Narcolepsy is a debilitating neurological disease affecting around 0.05% of the human population, men and women alike.[1][2] The disease is defined as the…

Rodent Models of Ischemic Stroke
May 18, 2019
Table of Contents Introduction to Ischemic Stroke Characteristics and Types of Ischemic Stroke Thrombotic Stroke Definition What is a Thrombus? Thrombotic…

Mice models of bipolar disorder
March 29, 2019
Introduction to Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder, originally termed manic-depressive disorder, is a devastating neuropsychiatric disease, which is…

Murine Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases
February 13, 2019
Neurodegenerative diseases comprise a class of disorders characterized by a progressive loss of neurological function, either by cell death or dysfunction. The…

An Overview of Mouse Models of Prion Disease
February 13, 2019
The intricate world of pathogens and diseases is expanding at an alarming rate. All pathogens, no matter how bizarre, follow the same patterns of replication.…

Rodent Models of Parkinson’s Disease: A General Overview
November 22, 2018
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, affecting 1% of individuals over the age of 60.[1] Though the disease was…

An Overview of Animal Models of Hemorrhage
August 3, 2018
Hemorrhage, the rupturing of a blood vessel within the brain, is the second most common type of stroke, seriously affecting millions of people annually. Yet,…

Opioid Induced Hyperalgesia
February 13, 2018
History of Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia Chronic pain is a significant problem in both the United States and Europe. Research suggests it affects 30 – 40% of the…

A Guide To Animal Seizure Models
February 5, 2018
Translation, regardless of the medium it’s put to use, always consists of challenges and difficulties. Aiming for a perfect copy paste scenario is highly…