6 ms·

*in mice

• yellow_lead 4y ago
  Can anyone tell me the standard for determining if a mouse is depressed? Or anxious? Just curious
  • Synaesthesia 4y ago
    Or tripping? I think that we can ascertain some things from their physiological responses, eg fear, anxiety and being content. Obviously there’s a lot we don’t know about their internal state. Psychedelics really need to be tested on humans.
    • krispyfi 4y ago
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-twitch_response https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-twitch_response
      • YorkshireSeason 4y ago
        What scientifically credible, i.e. at least stably reproducible, connection does the head twitch response in mice have to do with depression in humans?
        • heavyset_go 4y ago
          The head twitch test is used to determine whether a substance activates 5HT2A in the same way psychedelics do. The forced swim test is used in animal models of depression: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioural_despair_test https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioural_despair_test I'm a layman, I don't know what the scientific basis is for using the test to model depression. I personally find it pretty cruel.
  • YorkshireSeason 4y ago
    There is nothing credible. This research direction is an example of "cargo-cult science" [1] as Feynman understands the term. (That does not mean that the hypothesis is necessarily wrong.) There is a reason for "in mice" being an internet meme [2]. [1] https://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.htm https://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.htm [2] https://nitter.eu/justsaysinmice https://nitter.eu/justsaysinmice
  • heavyset_go 4y ago
    Look up the forced swim test.