A refined behavioral analysis for the genetic dissection of food exploration
strategies in mice
A. de Mooij-van Malsen1, B. Olivier1,2, B. Spruijt3, J. van Ree1 and
M. Kas1
1Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University
Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht,The Netherlands
2Department of Psychopharmacology, University Utrecht, Utrecht,
The Netherlands
3Department of Animal, Science and Society, University Utrecht,
Utrecht, The Netherlands
In nature, an animal must, in order to survive, establish a balance between
finding new resources and protecting itself from threatening situations.
Conventional laboratory tests for exploration strategies reveal marked
behavioural differences between different inbred strains of mice. Although
these behavioral differences reflect genetic variation, the nature of
these tests makes it difficult to interpret the behavioral variation.
Therefore, we introduce a novel behavioral phenotyping method that dissects
the composition of exploration strategies by assessing behaviors directed
at obtaining food (approach) and the innate preference to shelter (avoidance).
Conventional tests for exploration strategies, such as the elevated plus
maze and open field, have limitations. They are usually short-lasting
and the animals performance in these tests is confounded by motor
activity levels and novelty-responsiveness. For these reasons, we have
developed a home cage environment (PhenoTyper®
PT10S/P /N Version 1.01, Noldus Information Technology bv, The Netherlands)
that dissociates avoidance and approach behavior regardless of individual
motor activity levels. Combined with the EthoVision®
(Noldus Information Technology bv, The Netherlands) video-tracking system
mice can be monitored for several days. In this way, novelty-induced,
baseline and circadian behavioral variation can be studied without experimenter
interference.
Characterization of a panel of chromosome substitution strains (CSS)
in this Modi.ed
Homecage Environment (MHE) introduces a simple and powerful genetic strategy
for
identifying quantitative trait loci affecting different behavioural processes.
Each CSS carries
a single chromosome substituted from a donor strain (A/J) onto a common
host background
(C57BL/6J), strains that exhibit marked physiological and behavioral differences
In our initial studies, different CSS showed distinct behavioral phenotypes
in the MHE. Since distinct CSS were found that affected either motor activity
levels or shelter preference, these data show that continuous multi-day
recordings in designed environments can dissociate complex behaviors into
refined behavioral components that involve physiological processes with
different genetic origin.
Paper presented
at Measuring Behavior 2005
, 5th International Conference on Methods and Techniques
in Behavioral Research, 30 August - 2 September 2005, Wageningen, The
Netherlands.
© 2005 Noldus
Information Technology bv
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