How do we define resilience in animals, and how can we measure it?

This session will explore how resilience can be defined and measured in animal models of stress-related disorders and how preclinical approaches can inform our understanding of resilience in humans.

Resilience is generally described as the ability to maintain or recover adaptive functioning after stress or adversity. Translating this concept into experimental models is challenging, as the absence of an overt pathological phenotype does not necessarily indicate resilience.

The discussion will address how resilience and susceptibility can be identified in animal models, the strengths and limitations of current approaches, and the value of integrating behavioural and biological measures.

Examples from preclinical research will illustrate how individual differences in responses to adversity can be studied and how these models may help identify mechanisms associated with adaptive or maladaptive outcomes.

Finally, the session will consider the translational relevance of animal models and how experimental findings may contribute to understanding individual variability in human responses to stress.