Using animal models to develop new therapies for the treatment of mental health is laborious and expensive. We are growing neurons from the parts of the brain affected by calorie restriction to analyse the changes caused to the biological processes in the neuron. Once we understand these changes, we can look for drugs that mimic these changes in normal neurons. Drugs that caused the same biological changes as calorie restriction would then be evaluated as therapies for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
