Western Michigan University 3 articles published in JoVE Neuroscience Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety Saki Watanabe1, Alzahra Al Omran1, Amy S. Shao2, Jing Liang1 1Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, 2Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Western Michigan University Presented here is a social isolation (SI)-induced anxiety mouse model that utilizes wild type C56BL/6J mice to induce stress and anxiety-like behavior with minimal handling and no invasive procedures. This model reflects modern life patterns of social isolation and is ideal for studying anxiety and related disorders. Developmental Biology Surgical Ablation Assay for Studying Eye Regeneration in Planarians Jacob M. Morton*1, Marwa A. Saad*1, Wendy S. Beane1 1Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University This protocol shows how to consistently excise planarian eyes (optic cups) without disturbing surrounding tissues. Using an insulin needle and syringe, either one or both eyes can be ablated to facilitate investigations into the mechanisms regulating eye regeneration, the evolution of visual regeneration, and the neural basis of light-induced behavior. Medicine Glaucoma-inducing Procedure in an In Vivo Rat Model and Whole-mount Retina Preparation Cynthia A. Gossman1, David M. Linn2, Cindy Linn1 1Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Grand Valley State University Glaucoma is characterized by damage to retinal ganglion cells. Inducing glaucoma in animal models can provide insight into the study of this disease. Here, we outline a procedure that induces loss of RGCs in an in vivo rat model and demonstrates the preparation of whole-mount retinas for analysis.
