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Volume 08
Clinical Pharmacology & Biopharmaceutics
ISSN: 2167-065X
Page 24
August 19-20, 2019 Vienna, Austria
&
7
th
World Heart Congress
24
th
World Congress on
Pharmacology
Pharmacology 2019
World Heart Congress 2019
August 19-20, 2019
JOINT EVENT
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Shanaz Tejani-Butt, Clin Pharmacol Biopharm, Volume 08
Shanaz Tejani-Butt
University of the Sciences, USA
Relevance of animal models in affective disorders research
A
ccording to the World Health Organization, mental disorders are one of the leading causes of disability in the US and
worldwide. However, several challenges exists in the treatment of these disorders. First of all, diagnosis is difficult,
especially in the young and the elderly, and the course of the disease can get complicated when the patient suffers from
additional chronic conditions. Secondly, even when appropriate medications exists, a large number of patients do not
receive treatment or are found to be treatment resistant. Thirdly, the neurochemical basis underlying the pathophysiology
of the disorders is not well known, and our current understanding of these disorders is largely based on animal models.
Exposure to stress triggers a complex array of physiological, behavioral and neurochemical processes in order to promote
homeostatic adaptation to the stressful stimuli. Repeated and chronic stressors pose a risk for psychiatric ailments,
affecting our daily performance, and leading to a high public health burden. Appropriate animal models are therefore
required for exploring the underlying neural mechanisms of stress, and for the screening of new therapeutic agents.
We and other researchers have reported on the use of the Wistar-Kyoto rat strain in the study of several neuropsychiatric
disorders. When Wistar-Kyoto rats are exposed to stress stimulation, they respond with behaviors that resemble human
depressive behaviors, such as anhedonia, psychomotor retardation, ambivalence and negative memory bias. Following
stress manipulations and treatment, autoradiography analyses have revealed significant alterations in neurotransmitter
receptors in limbic brain regions.
This presentation will review the utility of the Wistar-Kyoto animal model for furthering our understanding of the
pathogenesis of affective disorders. Although potential problems and limitations exists in translating animal findings
to human conditions, such comparisons are necessary for advancing our understanding of the mechanisms, and for
developing improved interventions for these disorders.
Biography
Shanaz Tejani-Butt is a Professor in the department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Dr. Tejani-Butt’s research
interests include the neurobiological mechanisms associated with the regulation of biogenic amines in an animal model of depressive behavior, implications of
these biogenic amines in modulating stress and reward, and therapeutic action of psychiatric drugs. Dr. Tejani-Butt has been a recipient of numerous research
grants, and served as a Grant Reviewer for the National Institute of Health. Shanaz Tejani-Butt received her PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the Medical
College of Virginia, her MS in Organic & Natural Product Chemistry and BS in Chemistry and Microbiology from the University of Bombay. She received her
MBA degree in Healthcare Business from the Mayes College of the University of the Sciences.