Brain, Mind, And Behavior

Detecting autistic-like traits in a general population of monkeys

Translational animal models are a necessary step to uncovering the biological basis of human disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which affects 1 in every 54 children in the United States. Kate Talbot, Ph.D. and her colleagues in the Neuroscience and Behavior Unit at the California National Research Primate [...]

2022-11-16T22:05:01-07:00October 15th, 2020|

A monkey model of early Alzheimer’s Disease: Moving past complications with rodent models

Almost undoubtedly, you can think of five influential and loved women in your life. With those women in mind, consider that one in every five women and one in every ten American men at the age of 45 are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As the rates [...]

2021-01-06T02:05:34-07:00January 3rd, 2020|

From Rio de Janeiro to the CNPRC at UC Davis

Dr. Danielle Beckman comes to the CNPRC by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to develop a monkey model that can be used to one day find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease Media Contact: CNPRC Info (530) 754 4413 (U.C. Davis) - Not everyone would trade the sunny beaches [...]

2017-08-30T23:07:05-07:00May 3rd, 2017|Tags: , |

Q & A With a Primatologist: Why Studying Rank Changes is Good for Primate Welfare

Speaking of Research recently sat down with Lauren Wooddell, a laboratory assistant at the California National Primate Research Center, to discuss her research paper to be published in the May 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JAALAS) titled, “Elo-rating for Tracking Rank Fluctuations after Demographic [...]

Working with Titi Monkeys at CNPRC

Contact: CNPRC Info (530) 754-4413 (UC DAVIS, Calif.) – The California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) is home to the nation's only active breeding colony of South American titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus). These monkeys are small, tree-dwelling primates from South America, and live in monogamous family groups that consist of [...]

NIH Releases NHP Workshop Report

(UC DAVIS, Calif.) – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a report today centering on a recent workshop that explored the use of non-human primates (NHPs) in medical research. The workshop, held Sept. 7, 2016, and entitled “Ensuring the Continued Responsible Oversight of Research with Non-Human Primates” brought together [...]

2017-08-30T23:07:05-07:00January 19th, 2017|

CNPRC Puts Call Out for 2017 Pilot Project Letters of Intent

Contact: CNPRC Info (530) 754-4413 (UC DAVIS, Calif.) – The California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) Pilot Program invites Letters of Intent for pilot project proposals to support basic and translational research using nonhuman primates (rhesus macaque and titi monkeys) for the 2017-2018 funding period.  Pilot projects that address biomedical/translational research topics across [...]

2017-08-30T23:07:05-07:00January 13th, 2017|Tags: |

Podcast – Social Rank Uncertainty and Health

Contact: CNPRC Info (530) 754-4413 In this edition of "Monkey Talk" we talk with Dr. Jessica Vandeleest about her study on how social rank uncertainty affects the health of rhesus macaques at CNPRC. Click here to learn more about Dr. Vandeleest and her colleagues' study here.   [...]

2017-08-30T23:07:05-07:00December 21st, 2016|Tags: , , |

Of Monkey Dates and Flirting

  Mating season at CNPRC brings a plethora of flirtatious behavior Media Contact: CNPRC Info (530) 754-4413 (UC DAVIS, Calif.) – He struts to her with much swagger and then comes the moment of truth – he smacks his lips at her. She responds by doing some smacking [...]

Can being uncertain of your social rank be bad for your health?

New research suggests that low social rank isn’t as bad for your health as uncertain social rank Media Contact: CNPRC Info (530) 754-4413 (UC DAVIS, Calif.) – Having strong social connections has many benefits – from the opportunity to split the tab on a pizza to having someone to binge watch [...]

2017-08-30T23:07:06-07:00October 20th, 2016|

UC Davis Researchers Temporarily Turn Off Brain Area to Better Understand Function

Minimally-invasive method allows researchers to better understand brain networks in rhesus monkeys (UC DAVIS, Calif.) – Capitalizing on experimental genetic techniques, researchers at UC Davis’ California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) have demonstrated that temporarily turning off an area of the brain changes patterns of activity across much of [...]

Connections Matter: Social Relationships and Lifespan Health in a Monkey Model

Applying a new approach to rhesus macaque groups to realistically model individual, family, and group health across the lifespan in human populations. Humans live in societies full of rich and complex relationships that influence our physical and mental health and well-being. In both human and nonhuman primates, social life, and its interaction [...]

Immune responses to loneliness similar in monkeys and people

Can loneliness make you sick? Loneliness is more than just a socio-emotional condition; it can be a significant cause of poor health, and is of special concern in the elderly. Also known as perceived social isolation, loneliness reflects a discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships, and has been [...]

Prozac, oxytocin and autism

Prozac (fluoxetine), a commonly prescribed drug for anxiety and depression, is used during pregnancy by some women. But several studies are showing that prenatal exposure to the drug may increase the risk of having a child with autism. Prozac, Zoloft (sertraline) and Paxil (paroxetine) are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) [...]

Gene therapy treatment shows benefits to Alzheimer’s patients

Gene therapy treatment developed at the CNPRC shows benefits to brain cells for Alzheimer’s patients Reporting on the first-of-its-kind human clinical trials designed to test the potential benefits of nerve growth factor gene therapy for Alzheimer’s patients, Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD, CNPRC affiliate scientist, has found that an experimental gene [...]

Aging and Synaptic Health

CNPRC Incoming Director John Morrison is expanding our understanding of how estrogen affects cognitive functioning and synaptic health The good, the bad and the ugly. Estrogen; such a familiar hormone, and such a large influence on everyone’s health, female or male, young or old. With an abundance of estrogen during women’s reproductive [...]

MERIT Program Announced at CNPRC

Igniting Novel Research with Current and New Animal Models Drug discovery and innovative therapeutic approaches in the era of personalized medicine requires the use of animal models that closely recapitulate human disease. To address these challenges, the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at UC Davis is initiating the MERIT [...]

Mother’s immunity linked to brain inflammation

Monkeys exposed in utero to their mother’s immune response to a mock infection show inflammation in their brains four years later, similar to which can be associated with schizophrenia and autism. Melissa Bauman presented new findings in her research in brain inflammation in monkeys at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting [...]

2017-10-03T18:20:33-07:00November 25th, 2014|Tags: , , , , , |

Loneliness and Health

Monkeys, too, can be lonely, even when surrounded by others in a social group. What is loneliness? Is it wishing to be social but not having friends in your social group? More than just a socio-emotional condition, it can be a significant cause of poor health, and is of special [...]

2017-10-03T18:14:47-07:00November 8th, 2014|Tags: , , , , |

Improving Models to Understand the Etiology of Autism

Using an exciting, first of its kind method and making great strides in understanding the biology of autism, Sara Freeman, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at the CNPRC, is the first develop a novel protocol using selective oxytocin receptor ligands to locate and map oxytocin receptors in rhesus monkey brains (“The neuroanatomical [...]

2017-08-30T23:07:10-07:00June 25th, 2014|
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