Protocol for Measuring Free (Low-stress) Exploration in Rats
Authors: Wojciech Pisula and
Klaudia Modlinska,
date: 01/20/2020,
view: 627,
Q&A: 0
[Abstract] Research on exploratory behavior plays a key part in behavioral science. Studying exploratory behavior of laboratory rodents may provide important data about many developmental and neurobiological processes occurring in animal ontogenesis. The proposed protocol for measuring the free (low-stress) exploration behavior in rats is straightforward, ...
Trial-based Discrimination Procedure for Studying Drug Relapse in Rats
[Abstract] In abstinent drug addicts, cues formerly associated with drug-taking experiences gain relapse-inducing potency (‘incubate’) over time. Animal models of incubation may help in developing treatments for relapse prevention. However, these models have primarily focused on the role of conditioned stimuli (CSs) signaling drug delivery and not ...
Social Defeat Stress (SDS) in Mice: Using Swiss Mice as Resident
[Abstract] Due to the high prevalence and great economic impact of depression, studies with animal models have been increasingly used to identify neurobiological mechanisms associated with this disorder. However, many animal models use stressful conditions that are not consistent with what we observe in the modern human world. Examples are the chronic ...
Behavioral Evaluation of Odor Memory in Mice
Authors: Afif J. Aqrabawi and
Jun Chul Kim,
date: 09/20/2018,
view: 2355,
Q&A: 0
[Abstract] Behavioural tests based on the spontaneous recognition paradigm have been used extensively for examining the memory capacity of rodents. By exploiting their innate preference to investigate novel stimuli, inferences can be drawn about the perceived familiarity of encountered objects. Olfaction is the dominant sense used by mice to navigate their ...
Sociability and Social Novelty Preference Tests Using a U-shaped Two-choice Field
[Abstract] We developed sociability tests based on use of a U-shaped two-choice field to read out behavioral states of sociability in rodents. The U-shaped two-choice field is a modified open field that is partially partitioned with a wall projecting to the central point, resulting in two symmetrical rectangular fields, each containing closed and open square ...
Predator Odor-induced Freezing Test for Mice
Author: Shintaro Otsuka,
date: 09/05/2017,
view: 4647,
Q&A: 0
[Abstract] The innate fear response is an emotional response that does not require any previously acquired conditioning. One of the standard methods to analyze the innate fear response is a 2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT)-induced freezing test. TMT is an odor originally isolated from anal secretion of the red fox. Acute TMT exposure has been shown to induce ...
Social Observation Task in a Linear Maze for Rats
Authors: Xiang Mou and
Daoyun Ji,
date: 07/05/2017,
view: 4307,
Q&A: 0
[Abstract] Animals often learn through observing their conspecifics. However, the mechanisms of them obtaining useful knowledge during observation are beginning to be understood. This protocol describes a novel social observation task to test the ‘local enhancement theory’, which proposes that presence of social subjects in an environment facilitates one’s ...
Representation-mediated Aversion as a Model to Study Psychotic-like States in Mice
[Abstract] Several paradigms for rodent models of the cognitive and negative endophenotypes found in schizophrenic patients have been proposed. However, significant efforts are needed in order to study the pathophysiology of schizophrenia-related positive symptoms. Recently, it has been shown that these positive symptoms can be studied in rats by using ...