Experiments in animals and in animal models for normal and pathological behaviour form an indispensable link between neuroimaging studies in humans and molecular and cellular work in neuronal tissue from various species. Animal experiments allow also invasive neurotechnologies to delineate the neurobiological mechanisms of different aspects of behaviour and cognition.

The students will get a critical state-of-the-art overview of different animal species (zebrafish, mouse, rat) used for neuroscience research, their pro’s and con’s and translational value, transgenic animal models and their breeding, behavioural models for endophenotypes of brain disorders and their validity, in vivo neurotechnologies like neuroimaging, opto- and chemogenetics, electrophysiology, EEG, tracing and intracerebral pharmacological manipulations, surgery methods, experimental design, data analysis, and ex vivo approaches like immunohistochemistry and electrophysiology.

Lectures will be complemented with several animal facility tours and demonstrations.

The students themselves will get the possibility to work out and present a detailed plan for an animal experiment based on research questions formulated by the teachers (student presentations). The students can use the practicalities addressed during the lectures, the literature proposed to read for each lecture, and any additional literature needed to fulfil this assignment.

The course is indispensable for students who are considering to do in vivo animal experiments. It gives also an excellent opportunity to meet scientists from different neuroscience fields offering internship positions.

Brain function and the neurobiology of their disturbances are far from elucidated. Recent advances in tools to manipulate the genome of animals and (related) neurotechnologies to manipulate specific neural projections or to measure neuronal firing and neurotransmitter release have greatly contributed to unravelling mechanisms. Furthermore, neuroimaging, the technique to measure brain structure and function in humans, is now also applied to small animals to gather data with high translational value. The course is given by experts in the field. Some have been developing psychoactive drugs for many years in various drug companies, all have long records as neurobiologists with a deep interest in behaviour, cognition and their disturbances. Lectures will be given on various aspects of animal models for a selected number of brain functions and psychiatric and neurological disorders such as autism, anxiety and depression, drug addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, pain and epilepsy.