Universit� degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Anxious Behaviour Identified in a Snail: Unimore Study in Translational Psychiatry Opens New Pathways in Psychiatric Research

A freshwater snail as a novel tool for neuropsychiatric research. This is demonstrated by a study coordinated by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, published in the Translational Psychiatry journal from the Nature group, which for the second time worldwide documents anxiety-like behaviour in a non-mammalian organism: the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis .

The observed behaviour responds to administration of alprazolam, one of the main medications used to treat anxiety disorders, and opens up new possibilities for translational research. The work originates from the group coordinated by Professors Fabio Tascedda and Cristina Benatti, with Dr Veronica Rivi as the first author. The title of the study is “First evidence of an anxiety-like behaviour and its pharmacological modulation in a molluscan model organism, Lymnaea stagnalis.”

The project also involved contributions from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Prof. Joris M. Koene), the Balaton Limnological Research Institute in Hungary (Prof. Zsolt Pirger), FLAME University in India (Prof. Anuradha Batabyal), and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary, Canada (Prof. Ken Lukowiak). The collaboration brought together several leading international research groups working on invertebrate models to explore the neurobiological foundations of mental disorders.

“Our laboratory has been working for years on the development of valid animal models for translational research,” explains Professor Cristina Benatti. “Our results indicate that responses to stress and anxiety are deeply rooted in evolutionary history and conserved across highly diverse species, representing a common survival strategy. Lymnaea is proving to be an extremely useful model for studying the mechanisms underlying cognitive functions and stress response, which are fundamental not only to emotions but also to numerous psychiatric conditions.”

The use of the pond snail ensures a significant reduction in the use of mammals in the early phases of experimentation. The study aligns with the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement), which guide scientific research towards more ethical and sustainable approaches.

“We are fully aware that no animal model can completely replicate the complexity of the human brain. However, Lymnaea represents a valid complementary model to mammalian research, especially in the early stages of preclinical investigation. Its use allows for simplification of studies, reducing the number of mammals required in later stages, as well as the time and cost of experimentation. A choice that combines scientific rigour with ethics,” says Dr Veronica Rivi.

“This discovery is not only a significant step forward for translational research,” concludes Professor Fabio Tascedda, “but also the result of an extraordinary international collaborative network, made possible thanks to the support of the Emilia-Romagna Region — always at the forefront in promoting alternative methods — and the FAR funding from the Departments of Life Sciences and Biomedical, Metabolic and Neurosciences at Unimore.”

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng