Rat models of major neurodegenerative disorders

No single animal model can recapitulate all the features of a particular human disease on its own. Historically, rats have been used to study neurobiology and underlying functional networks. Likewise, rat models have been created to study neurodegenerative mechanisms and therapeutic interventions. In the last decades, a shift towards the use of mice has been observed in many research fields, not least because of the comparatively easier genetic manipulation of mice. However, with the full sequence of the rat genome being available, advances in genetic manipulation of the rat, and advanced test regimens and biomarkers at hand, the rat presents itself once more as a valuable model organism for studying neurodegenerative disorders. This review provides an overview of currently available, well-characterized rat models of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease, as well as their advantages for studying neurodegenerative disorders and evaluating therapeutic interventions.