It may be possible to use NPY to treat anxiety in humans, but to date 80 to 90 percent of NPY research has been done in male mice. Even if researchers include female mice, the findings by Karl and colleagues suggest further care will be needed in applying the mouse model to humans. The findings that female mice without the NPY gene are less prone to anxiety than males appears to go against what is known in humans, where females are more likely to develop anxiety disorders. But this does not mean that female mice are not useful as a model in studying anxiety in humans. Indeed, given there is a difference between the sexes in humans, it is appropriate for an animal model to also show a difference -- even if it is an opposite trend. Karl said this needs to be used as a tool when interpreting results of studies. "You have to be very careful about using animal models, but sometimes they're the only tool we have to work on certain diseases," he said. Related Links: |
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