Abstract
Current models in biological psychiatry focus on a handful of model species, and the majority of work relies on data generated in rodents. However, in the same sense that a comparative approach to neuroanatomy allows for the identification of patterns of brain organization, the inclusion of other species and an adoption of comparative viewpoints in behavioral neuroscience could also lead to increases in knowledge relevant to biological psychiatry. Specifically, this approach could help to identify conserved features of brain structure and behavior, as well as to understand how variation in gene expression or developmental trajectories relates to variation in brain and behavior pertinent to psychiatric disorders. To achieve this goal, the current focus on mammalian species must be expanded to include other species, including non-mammalian taxa. In this article, we review behavioral neuroscientific experiments in non-mammalian species, including traditional “model organisms” (zebrafish and Drosophila) as well as in other species which can be used as “reference.” The application of these domains in biological psychiatry and their translational relevance is considered.
Highlights
The use of model organisms is paramount in the behavioral neurosciences and its ramifications into biological psychiatry
Extensive databases of gene expression for flies [http://flybase.org/], frogs [http://www.xenbase.org], humans [http://human.brain-map. org/], mice [http://mouse.brain-map.org/], worms [http://www. wormbase.org/], and zebrafish [http://zfin.org/] are already available, allowing for the comparison of basal expression levels in different brain areas. These data can be used in comparative neuroanatomy to refine homology propositions (Engert, 2014; Mitra, 2014; Striedter et al, 2014), which is essential for circuit approaches in behavioral neuroscience
The results revealed that the immediate testing environment is more important when a potential predator was nearby, and housing is more important at greater distances and after the first few days of adaptation to the new conditions
Summary
The use of model organisms is paramount in the behavioral neurosciences and its ramifications into biological psychiatry. Wormbase.org/], and zebrafish [http://zfin.org/] are already available, allowing for the comparison of basal expression levels in different brain areas These data can be used in comparative neuroanatomy to refine homology propositions (Engert, 2014; Mitra, 2014; Striedter et al, 2014), which is essential for circuit approaches in behavioral neuroscience. It has been argued that, at least in anxiety research, construct validity is dependent on the assumption of evolutionary conservation (Maximino et al, 2010c); to increase construct validity in animal models, testing the predictions of this assumption is highly desirable (McNaughton and Zangrossi, 2008) In this sense, while a common practice in behavioral neuroscience, using data from a single species (no matter how basal) to infer the ancestral state is unfeasible (Garland, 2001). In most of the cases, pharmacological correlates are the strongest argument for the use of that species and behavioral model, which underlines the need to reinforce construct validity (the theoretical network behind the model) and face validity (the neurobehavioral isomorphism between the model and the target pathology)
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