TY - JOUR
T1 - About a snail, a toad, and rodents
T2 - Animal models for adaptation research
AU - Roubos, Eric W.
AU - Jenks, Bruce G.
AU - Xu, Lu
AU - Kuribara, Miyuki
AU - Scheenen, Wim J.J.M.
AU - Kozicz, Tamás
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Neural adaptation mechanisms have many similarities throughout the animal kingdom, enabling to study fundamentals of human adaptation in selected animal models with experimental approaches that are impossible to apply in man. This will be illustrated by reviewing research on three of such animal models, viz. (1) the egg-laying behavior of a snail, Lymnaea stagnalis: how one neuron type controls behavior, (2) adaptation to the ambient light condition by a toad, Xenopus laevis: how a neuroendocrine cell integrates complex external and neural inputs, and (3) stress, feeding, and depression in rodents: how a neuronal network co-ordinates different but related complex behaviors. Special attention is being paid to the actions of neurochemical messengers, such as neuropeptide Y, urocortin 1, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. While awaiting new technological developments to study the living human brain at the cellular and molecular levels, continuing progress in the insight in the functioning of human adaptation mechanisms may be expected from neuroendocrine research using invertebrate and vertebrate animal models.
AB - Neural adaptation mechanisms have many similarities throughout the animal kingdom, enabling to study fundamentals of human adaptation in selected animal models with experimental approaches that are impossible to apply in man. This will be illustrated by reviewing research on three of such animal models, viz. (1) the egg-laying behavior of a snail, Lymnaea stagnalis: how one neuron type controls behavior, (2) adaptation to the ambient light condition by a toad, Xenopus laevis: how a neuroendocrine cell integrates complex external and neural inputs, and (3) stress, feeding, and depression in rodents: how a neuronal network co-ordinates different but related complex behaviors. Special attention is being paid to the actions of neurochemical messengers, such as neuropeptide Y, urocortin 1, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. While awaiting new technological developments to study the living human brain at the cellular and molecular levels, continuing progress in the insight in the functioning of human adaptation mechanisms may be expected from neuroendocrine research using invertebrate and vertebrate animal models.
KW - Adaptation
KW - Neurosecretion
KW - Non-synaptic communication
KW - Synaptic plasticity
KW - Urocortin 1
KW - αMsh
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78650018238&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=78650018238&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fendo.2010.00004
DO - 10.3389/fendo.2010.00004
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:78650018238
SN - 1664-2392
VL - 1
JO - Frontiers in Endocrinology
JF - Frontiers in Endocrinology
IS - OCT
M1 - Article 4
ER -