Flatworm Planaria

The Flatworm Planaria as a Toxicology and Behavioral Pharmacology Animal Model in Undergraduate Research Experiences
By Oné R. Pagán, Tamara Coudron, and Tanvi Kaneria

In this work we describe a series of simple protocols using planaria as an animal model in toxicology and behavioral pharmacology. These procedures have proven useful to provide significant research experience to undergraduate students, including coauthorship in peer-reviewed publications. The methods described in this work have proven useful to allow students to visualize concepts related to concentration-effect curves for toxicity and behavioral experiments, without the need to consider factors that must be taken into account when working with vertebrate animals.

Key words: planaria, motility, behavior, toxicology, pharmacology, DMSO, caffeine

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Editors

Gary Dunbar
Editor in Chief
Psychology Department
Central Michigan University

Barbara Lom
Senior Editor
Biology Department
Davidson College

William Grisham
Associate Editor
Psychology Department
University of California

James Kalat
North Carolina State

Bruce Johnson
Cornell University

Carol Ann Paul
Wellesley College

Julio Ramirez
Davidson College

Eric Wiertelak
Macalester College

Bob Wyttenbach
Cornell University

Michael Zigmond
University of Pittsburgh