Relationships between novelty- versus d-amphetamine- induced behavior and brain c-fos expression in two inbred mouse strains: a functional systems analysis

A.B. Cherepov1, A.O. Lukashev1, I.A. Novosyolov2, K.S. Rayevsky2 and K.V. Anokhin1

1Department of Systemogenesis, Anokhin Institute of Normal Physiology, Moscow, Russian Federation
2Institute of Pharmacology, RAMS, Moscow, Russian Federation

 

By comparing the neuronal bases of behavior between different inbred strains of mice, we can address the role of genes in development, neuroanatomy and the organization of complex behavioral functional systems. To start developing tools for such an integrative approach, we employed a relatively simple model in the present study. We compared behavior patterns and the distribution of c-Fos brain expression in C57Bl/6 and BALB/C mice in response to either amphetamine injection or a novel environment. Mouse activity was recorded in home cages with a video tracking system (VideoMot 2, TSE, Germany), and c-Fos expression was detected by immunohistochemistry on brain sections. For a novelty session, mice were transferred into a new cage with transparent walls and new bedding.

Analysis of the distance travelled by mice revealed a significant increase in locomotor activity in both strains when compared to saline control groups. Amphetamine increased the distance travelled significantly more in C57Bl than in BALB/C mice. A significant difference between novelty and amphetamine groups was observed in C57Bl, but not in BALB/C mice. Analyses of the natural structure and pattern of mouse tracks, using existing approaches [1,2] and methods developed in our laboratory [3], revealed significant differences in locomotor behavior between novelty and amphetamine groups in both strains of mice. Studying c-Fos expression revealed significantly larger number of c-Fos-positive cells in the secondary motor cortex of C57Bl mice injected with amphetamine than in BALB/C mice. Novelty produced a significant increase in c-Fos expression in BALB/C, but not in C57Bl mice. Analyses of correlations between patterns of behavior and c-Fos expression will be presented.

References

  1. Drai, D.; Benjamini, Y.; Golani, I. (2000). Statistical discrimination of natural modes of motion in rat exploratory behavior. J. Neurosci. Methods, 96, 119-31.
  2. Drai, D.; Golani, I. (2001). SEE: a tool for the visualization and analysis of rodent exploratory behavior. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev., 25, 409-426.
  3. Mukhina, T.V.; Lukashev, A.O.; Bachurin, S.O.; Anokhin, K.V. (2002) Analysing animal path trajectories in terms of individual behavioral acts. This conference.

Paper presented at Measuring Behavior 2002 , 4th International Conference on Methods and Techniques in Behavioral Research, 27-30 August 2002, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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