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SHR Neuro Cancer Cardio Lipid Metab Microb
Post, AM; Weyers, P; Holzer, P; Painsipp, E; Pauli, P; Wultsch, T; Reif, A; Lesch, KP.
Gene-environment interaction influences anxiety-like behavior in ethologically based mouse models.
Behav Brain Res. 2011; 218(1): 99-105.
Doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.11.031
Web of Science
PubMed
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- Co-authors Med Uni Graz
- Holzer Peter
- Singewald Evelin
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- Abstract:
- Ethologically based animal models are widely used; however, results from different laboratories vary significantly which may partly be due to the lack of standardization. Here, we examined the effects of circadian rhythm, lighting condition and mouse strain (BALB/c and C57BL/6, known to differ in measures of avoidance and risk assessment behavior) on two well established behavioral tests in mice: the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and the Open Field (OF). Parameters from both paradigms are commonly used as indices of anxiety-like behavior. BALB/c mice and C57BL/6 mice were independently tested in the morning and at night, in regular laboratory lighting and in the dark. We developed a novel method based on infrared lighting from below, coupled to respective video-tracking equipment, which facilitates standard testing of behavior interference-free in complete darkness. The two mouse strains differed in anxiety-related variables for the EPM in the dark, and for the OF in regular laboratory lighting. Moreover, BALB/c displayed greater anxiety-like behavior than C57BL/6 in the OF but less anxiety-like behavior than C57BL/6 in the EPM. Lighting condition has a major influence on both behavioral tests and this to a considerably larger extent than circadian rhythm. In addition, the lighting condition interacts strongly with the genetic background, producing discriminative differences in the anxiety-related variables depending on mouse strain and lighting condition. These results challenge the comparability of not sufficiently standardized tests of anxiety-like behavior and emphasize the need for controlling environmental variables in behavioral phenotyping.
- Find related publications in this database (using NLM MeSH Indexing)
- Analysis of Variance -
- Animals -
- Anxiety - genetics
- Behavior, Animal - physiology
- Circadian Rhythm - physiology
- Exploratory Behavior - physiology
- Mice -
- Mice, Inbred BALB C -
- Mice, Inbred C57BL -
- Motor Activity - genetics
- Phenotype -
- Species Specificity -
- Find related publications in this database (Keywords)
- Elevated Plus Maze
- Open Field
- C57BL/6
- BALB/c
- Anxiety
- Avoidance
- Lighting condition