The goal of the school is to to train young Ph.D. students, so they have the tools and knowledge to then select, test, and analyze behaviorally any genetically or pharmacologically modified model for a psychiatric disorder. We propose an intensive, three-week-long course aimed to train graduate students in the use of mice (pharmacologically, behaviorally or genetically modified) as animal models of psychiatric disorders. We put special emphasis on training students to understand the strengths and limitations of different models and tests, so students can then critically select and analyze their future experiments.
About the School
The course is divided into two parts. During the first two weeks, students attend lectures in the morning and discussion sessions in the afternoon. In the third week, students have a “hands-on” lab experience.
During the first week, students are introduced to the characteristics and constraints of an “animal model” and to the different tests that exist to evaluate different domains of behavior, from motor strength and coordination, to addiction and social behaviors. In the afternoon, students will critically analyze classical and recent scientific papers on different mouse models, with special emphasis on their use, strengths and weaknesses, along with the proper controls used in the different tests presented in them.
In the second week, specific psychiatric disorders will be discussed and presented with selected animal models for each. In the discussion sessions, students will analyze papers for the particular psychiatric disorder that was presented in the morning and discuss them thoroughly, from the genetic manipulation employed, the selection of tests and controls, whether the necessary information is presented or missing in the papers, to the scope of the conclusions the authors arrived at.
At the end of these first two weeks, the students acquire a broad theoretical knowledge of what it is and how to behaviorally test an animal model for psychiatric disorders. Then, during the third week, students will put this knowledge into action.
Who should apply to this School?
Ph.D students in neuroscience of all levels from Argentina and the rest of Latin-America.
What costs will be covered for selected participants?
Fellowships will be provided to partially cover housing and travel expenses according to distance.
Cosponsors
IFIBYNE (instituto de Fisiologia, Biologia Molecular y Neurociencias), IFIBIO (Instituto de Fisiologia y Biofisica Bernardo Houssay), INCYT (instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional).
Application dates:
May 31, 2022 – Aug 8, 2022 (5:00 p.m. CET)
School dates and location:
October 31- November 18, 2022
Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales-UBA, IFIBYNE, IFIBIO, INCYT, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Apply HERE
For any queries, please contact Prof. Noelia Weisstaub at noelia.weisstaub@gmail.com .