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+--- Thread: Psychotherapy on rats (/thread-2194.html)
Psychotherapy on rats - elte - Mar 29, 2016
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-03-psychotherapy-depressed-rats-genes-destiny.html -- '"Genes are not destiny in determining whether a person will suffer from depression, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. Environment is a major factor, and nurture can override nature.
When rats genetically bred for depression received the equivalent of rat "psychotherapy," their depressed behavior was alleviated. And, after the depressed rats had the therapy, some of their blood biomarkers for depression changed to non-depressed levels.
"The environment can modify a genetic predisposition to depression," said lead study investigator Eva Redei, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "If someone has a strong history of depression in her family and is afraid she or her future children will develop depression, our study is reassuring. It suggests that even with a high predisposition for depression, psychotherapy or behavioral activation therapy can alleviate it."'
It seems a very important factor was overlooked concerning the study. Rats have very much less existential awareness than humans. That would need to be controlled for, and I don't see how that could be done.
RE: Psychotherapy on rats - C C - Mar 31, 2016
(Mar 29, 2016 05:21 PM)elte Wrote: It seems a very important factor was overlooked concerning the study. Rats have very much less existential awareness than humans. That would need to be controlled for, and I don't see how that could be done.
Good point.
RE: Psychotherapy on rats - Yazata - Apr 4, 2016
If they are testing psychotherapy on humans and then on rats, they should be ready for me next.