Oles' Honchar Dnipro National University 4 articles published in JoVE Behavior A Complex Diving-For-Food Task to Investigate Social Organization and Interactions in Rats Benjamin F. Gruenbaum*1, Dmitry Frank*2, Shiri Savir2, Honore N. Shiyntum3, Ruslan Kuts2, Max Vinokur2, Israel Melamed4, Michael Dubilet2, Alexander Zlotnik2, Matthew Boyko2 1Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 2Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Soroka University Medical Center and the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 3 This protocol describes a method of examining social hierarchy in a rat model. Rats perform a complex diving-for-food task in which they form a distinct hierarchy according to their willingness to dive underwater and swim to obtain a food pellet. This method is used to understand decision making and social relationships among highly social animals in small groups. Neuroscience Laser-Induced Brain Injury in the Motor Cortex of Rats Ruslan Kuts*1, Israel Melamed*2, Honore N. Shiyntum3, Benjamin F. Gruenbaum4, Dmitry Frank1, Boris Knyazer5, Dmitry Natanel1, Olena Severynovska3, Max Vinokur1, Matthew Boyko1 1Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Soroka University Medical Center and the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 2Department of Neurosurgery, Soroka University Medical Center and the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 3 The protocol presented here shows a technique to create a rodent model of brain injury. The method described here uses laser irradiation and targets motor cortex. Behavior A Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Technique for Inducing Post-stroke Depression in Rats Ruslan Kuts*1, Israel Melamed*2, Honore N. Shiyntum3, Dmitry Frank1, Julia Grinshpun1, Alexander Zlotnik1, Evgeni Brotfain1, Michael Dubilet1, Dmitry Natanel1, Matthew Boyko1 1Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 2Department of Neurosurgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 3 Here we present a protocol to induce post-stroke depression in rats by occluding the middle cerebral artery via the internal carotid artery. We use the Porsolt forced swim test and the sucrose preference test to confirm and evaluate induced depressive moods. Behavior A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats Vladimir Zeldetz*1, Dmitry Natanel*2, Matthew Boyko2, Alexander Zlotnik2, Honore N. Shiyntum3, Julia Grinshpun2, Dmitry Frank2, Ruslan Kuts2, Evgeni Brotfain2, Jochanan Peiser2 1Department of Emergent Medicine, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 2Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 3 This protocol describes a new model by which healthy rats could contract depression over a given time periodthrough contagion by exposure to chronic unpredictable stressed (CUS) rats.