Behavioural battery testing: Evaluation and behavioural outcomes in 8 inbred mouse strains

Abstract The use of large scale behavioural batteries for the discovery of novel genes underlying behavioural variation has considerable potential. Building a broad behavioural profile serves to better understand the complex interplay of overlapping genetic factors contributing to various paradigms,...

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Published in:	Physiology & behavior Vol. 99; no. 3; pp. 301 - 316
Main Authors:	Lad, Heena Vanmalibhai, Liu, Lin, Paya-Cano, Jose Luis, Parsons, Michael James, Kember, Rachel, Fernandes, Cathy, Schalkwyk, Leonard Cornelis
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 03-03-2010 Elsevier
Subjects:	Animals Behavior, Animal Behavioral psychophysiology Behavioural battery Biological and medical sciences Evaluation Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Genes Genetic background Genetic Testing - methods Genetics, Behavioral - methods Housing, Animal Inbred strains Male Mice Mice, Inbred Strains - psychology Mouse Neuropsychological Tests Photoperiod Psychiatry Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry Psychology. Psychophysiology Quantitative Trait, Heritable Species Specificity Evaluation Genetic background Behavioural battery Inbred strains Mouse Genes Rodentia Psychometrics Vertebrata Mammalia Gene Animal Genetics Behavior
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Summary:	Abstract The use of large scale behavioural batteries for the discovery of novel genes underlying behavioural variation has considerable potential. Building a broad behavioural profile serves to better understand the complex interplay of overlapping genetic factors contributing to various paradigms, underpinning a systems biology approach. We devised a battery of tests to dissect and characterise the genetic bases of behavioural phenotypes, but firstly undertook to evaluate several aspects considered potentially confounding for mapping quantitative traits. These included investigating: individual versus sibling housing; testing at different times during the day; battery versus non-battery testing; and initial placement within the light–dark box. Furthermore, we assessed how behavioural profiles differed in our battery across 8 inbred strains. Overall, we found the behavioural battery was most sensitive to paired-housing effects, where weight and some measures in the open field, elevated plus maze and light–dark box differed significantly between sibling housed and singly housed mice. Few large effects were found for testing at different times of day and battery versus non-battery testing. Placement in the light–dark box influenced activity and duration measures, which profoundly affected the analysis outcome. Behavioural profiles across eight inbred strains (C57BL/6J, 129S1/SvImJ, A/J, BALB/cByJ, C3H/HeJ, DBA/2J, FVB/NJ, and SJL/J) demonstrated some robust strain ranking differences for measures in the open field and light–dark tests in our battery. However, some tests such as the elevated plus maze produced incongruous strain ranking effects across measures. The findings reported herein bear out the promise of behavioural batteries for mapping naturally occurring variation in mouse reference populations.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:	0031-9384 1873-507X
DOI:	10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.11.007