Speakers
Training
Rats a model to study the central nervous system
Rodents are amongst the most widely used animals in neuroscience research. The nervous systems of both rats and mice share structural and functional similarities with the human brain that make them valuable models to study fundamental neurological processes. However, there are physiological, neuroanatomical and behavioural differences between rats and mice that make them differentially suitable to modelling human behaviors, learning, memory, and neurological diseases.
This talk will present a brief overview of the historical use of rats to study neuroscience and discuss the physiological, anatomical and pharmacological differences between rats and mice. It will also outline the advantages and disadvantages of using rats to research the brain under physiological and disease conditions, as well as some considerations when planning rat experiments. Participants will gain insight about the rodent model that is best suited to their research.
My research focuses on understanding the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In particular, I focus on the development of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), the deposition of toxic β-amyloid proteins in the walls of the blood vessels of the AD brain. I am interested in how risk factors for AD, such as ageing and obesity, affect the structure of the blood vessels and their ability to remove β-amyloid from the brain.
I am also interested in how the early life environment, including maternal and paternal obesity, impacts on the health and function of the offspring brain and if the early life environment predisposes individuals towards developing age-related diseases like AD.