RESUMO
The Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is one of the main candidates in neuropsychiatric genetics, with hundreds of studies carried out in order to explore the possible role of polymorphisms in the APOE gene in a large number of neurological diseases, psychiatric disorders, and related endophenotypes. In the current article, we provide a comprehensive review of the structural and functional aspects of the APOE gene and its relationship with brain disorders. Evidence from genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses shows that the APOE gene has been significantly associated with several neurodegenerative disorders. Cellular and animal models show growing evidence of the key role of APOE in mechanisms of brain plasticity and behavior. Future analyses of the APOE gene might find a possible role in other neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders and related endophenotypes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Assuntos
Apolipoproteínas E/genética , Transtornos Mentais/genética , Animais , Apolipoproteínas E/metabolismo , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Encéfalo/patologia , Endofenótipos , Estudo de Associação Genômica Ampla , Genótipo , Humanos , Transtornos Mentais/metabolismo , Transtornos Mentais/patologia , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/genética , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/metabolismo , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/patologia , Polimorfismo GenéticoRESUMO
The analysis of behavior in animal models is an important objective in many research fields, including neuroscience, psychology, toxicology, and neuropsychopharmacology. Animal models have been used for many years, and several behavioral paradigms, such as locomotor activity, social interactions, and cognitive behavior, have been studied in animal models to correlate the behaviors with pharmacological or environmental interventions and with molecular, biochemical, and physiological findings. We reviewed the literature looking for open-source, freely available software to analyze animal behavior and found 12 freely available programs: ToxTrack, EthoWatcher, Mouse Behavior Tracker, Mouse Move, JAABA, wrMTrck, AnimalTracker, idTracker, Ctrax, Mousetracker, VideoHacking, and Cowlog, which were developed with different programs, work on different platforms, and have particular types of inputs and outputs and analysis capabilities. We reviewed some examples of their use, tested some of them, and provided several recommendations for the future development of programs for the automated analysis of behavior in animal models. In conclusion, we show freely available software for the automated analysis of behavior in animal models such as adult zebrafish and provide information for researchers and students looking for quick, easy-to-implement, and inexpensive behavior analysis alternatives.