Electrophysiology Electrophysiology is used within translational neuroscience as a means of studying the electric properties of neurons in animal models as well as to investigate the properties of human neurological dysfunction. Similarly,
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used to investigate the neurological mechanisms of pharmacological drug addiction, the neurological mechanisms of
mood and
anxiety disorders in elderly populations, and the neurological mechanisms of disorders such as
schizophrenia.
Gene therapy Gene therapy is the delivery of nucleic acid as a treatment for a disorder. In translational neuroscience, gene therapy is the delivery of nucleic acid as a treatment for a neurological disorder. Gene therapy has been proven effective at treating a variety of disorders, including
neurodegenerative disorders such as
Parkinson's disease (PD) and
Alzheimer's disease (AD), in rodent and non-human primate models, and in humans, via the application of
neurotrophic factors, such as
nerve growth factor (NGF),
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and
glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and via the application of enzymes such as
glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), which commonly use
adeno-associated viruses (AAV) as a vector.
Stem cells Stem cells, particularly
induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are utilized in translational neuroscience research as not only a treatment for nervous system disorders, but also as the source for models of neural dysfunction. For example, due to the central nervous system's limited regenerative abilities,
human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), a type of pluripotent stem cell, has been used as a replacement for damaged neurons, a novel approach that involves the surgical transplantation of fetal stem cells == Applications ==