|
| Behavioral Pharmacology With a Planarian Model: Opportunities for Research and Training |
| Sunday, May 25, 2025 |
| 11:00 AM–11:20 AM |
| Convention Center, Street Level, 159 AB |
| Area: BPN |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Chair: Thomas P. Byrne (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) |
| |
| Behavioral Pharmacology With a Planarian Model: Opportunities for Research and Training |
| Domain: Basic Research |
| THOMAS P. BYRNE (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) |
| |
| Abstract: Although their use is rare in behavior analysis, planarians have potential as an animal model for testing the behavioral effects of drugs and toxins. Planarians reliably exhibit negative phototaxis, which is movement from light to dark environments. This provides a stable baseline against which drug effects can be tested in single-case and between-group experimental designs. Furthermore, both planarians and the equipment required to study them are inexpensive, potentially expanding the variety of environments in which behavior analysts can pursue preclinical research in behavioral pharmacology. I will discuss several research projects we have completed in my laboratory on the effects of ethanol, histamine, xylazine, and psychomotor stimulants. We frequently acquire orderly dose-response curves. In addition, I will share some lesson plans describing how planarians can be used to teach hands-on mini labs on multiple-probe and ABAB designs that can be completed during one classroom meeting. Finally, I will provide a brief discussion of some methodological challenges. |
| |
|
| |