US 2006/0225143 A1 · Animal exhibiting ptsd-like behavior, per pct rule 4.3

Abstract

The invention relates to production of maladapted animals characterized by PTSD like behavior from a population by behavioral conditioning. The method includes determining a baseline behavioral level for individual under defined conditions; exposing each individual animal to trauma event and further determining a posttraumatic event behavioral level; re-exposing each individual to a trauma related event and further determining an individual post trauma related event behavioral level and evaluating the individual post trauma related event behavioral level for each individual animal with respect to a baseline value according to a predetermined rule in order to determine which individuals are maladapted animals charcterized by PTSD like behavior. Use of the method for assaying efficacy of PTSD treatment is within the scoape of the invention, as are animals produced by claimed methods. Once the method is established, biological parameters may be employed in addition to, or in lieu of behavioral parameters.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A maladapted non-human animal, the animal conditioned to exhibit at least one PTSD like behavior selected from the group consisting of:

(a) re-experiencing a trauma in response to a stimulus associated with said trauma,
(b) avoidance of social interaction;
and
(c) hyper-arousal in response to a stimulus not associated with the trauma.

1 more element

A method fur producing a small group of maladapted non-human animals characterized by PTSD like behavior from a larger group of animals by behavioral conditioning, the method comprising:

(a) determining an individual baseline behavioral level for each one of an individual animal in the larger group after a period of habituation to a defined set of conditions;
(b) exposing each one of said individual animal in the larger group to a trauma event and further determining an individual posttraumatic event behavioral level for each of said individual animal;
(c) re-exposing each of said individual animal in the larger group to a trauma related event and further determining an individual post trauma related event behavioral level for each individual animal;
(d) evaluating said individual post trauma related event behavioral level for each individual animal with respect to at least one baseline value according to a predetermined rule in order to determine which of said individual animal in the larger group belong to the small group of maladapted animals characterized by PTSD like behavior.

1 more element

A method for screening a candidate compound for PTSD treatment, the method comprising:

(a) establishing a method for producing a small group of maladapted PTSD like non-human animals from a large group of animals by behavioral conditioning;
(b) measuring at least one biological parameter for each animal in said small group of maladapted PTSD like non-human animals;
(c) employing statistical methods to:
(i) determine a first confidence interval for a relative size of said small group of maladapted PTSD like non-human animals with respect to a size of said large group of animals;
(ii) determine a second confidence interval for said at least one biological parameter for said small group of maladapted PTSD like non-human animals;
(d) administering the candidate compound to a subsequent large group of animals subjected to said method for producing a subsequent small group of maladapted non-human animals characterized by PTSD like behavior;
and
(e) determining whether a relative size of a subset of said subsequent large group of animals characterized by a value for said at least one biological parameter which falls within said second confidence interval falls within said first confidence interval;
and
(f) concluding that:
(i) the candidate compound is effective in ameliorating PTSD if said relative size of said subset of said subsequent large group of animals characterized by a value for said at least one biological parameter which falls within said second confidence interval is below a lower bound of said first confidence interval;
or
(ii) the candidate compound is not effective in ameliorating PTSD if said relative size of said subset of said subsequent large group of animals characterized by a value for said at least one biological parameter which falls within said second confidence interval is above a lower bound of said first confidence interval.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Animal exhibiting ptsd-like behavior, per pct rule 4.3

Life of this patent

Animal exhibiting ptsd-like behavior, per pct rule 4.3

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27