Lecture by Dr Justyna Hinchcliffe

We are pleased to invite you to a lecture titled " Affective biases and objective methods to measure emotional states of laboratory rodents: from depression to animal welfare to be delivered by Dr Justyna Hinchcliffe from School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, UK. The lecture will take place in the conference hall on July 29, 2024, at 2:00 PM.

Dr. Justyna Hinchcliffe completed her PhD in Behavioral Psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol in 2019. Currently, she works in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience at the University of Bristol, focusing on the study of neuronal circuits and molecular mechanisms regulating emotional behaviors and affective biases in rodents. Her research also involves work on emotional behaviors in rodents using psychedelic substances and the analysis of ultrasonic vocalizations as a method for assessing emotional states from the animal welfare perspective. Her research, dedicated to validating the translational value of tests to objectively measure emotional states in laboratory animals, was honored with the '2024 Junior Pre-clinical Psychopharmacology Award' by The British Association for Psychopharmacology. These tests were developed in the context of investigating the neuropsychological mechanisms  of conventional antidepressants such as venlafaxine, fluoxetine and rapid acting antidepressants such as ketamine, scopolamine, and psilocybin. Dr. Justyna Hinchcliffe is also one of the creators of 'The 3Hs Initiative: Housing, Handling, Habituation,' a comprehensive framework aimed at improving the care and welfare of laboratory rodents.

Dr. Hinchcliffe's lecture will focus on the key aspects of the application and validation of methods used to assess the affective states of animals, aiming to enhance our understanding of the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying the effects of conventional antidepressants, versus rapid acting antidepressants. The lecture will also explore how studying the affective biases can contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of development, persistence, and treatment of depressive disorders.

We cordially invite you to attend.