Rodent and fly models in behavioral neuroscience: An evaluation of methodological advances, comparative research, and future perspectives

• Published in: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews Vol. 120; pp. 1 - 12
• Main Authors: Moulin, Thiago C., Covill, Laura E., Itskov, Pavel M., Williams, Michael J., Schiöth, Helgi B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01-01-2021
• Subjects: 3Rs; Aggression; Animal ethics; Animal models; Anxiety; Artificial intelligence; Behavioral tests; Centrophobism; Closed-loop feedback optogenetics; Feeding; Mating; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Reproducibility; Translational research; Animal models; Aggression; Animal ethics; Feeding; Mating; Behavioral tests; Translational research; 3Rs; Reproducibility; Closed-loop feedback optogenetics; Centrophobism; Anxiety; Artificial intelligence
• ISSN: 0149-7634; 1873-7528; 1873-7528
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.014

•Mice, rats, and flies are the most used non-primate animals for behavioral research.•More than 150 different tasks were identified for these popular models.•Technological advances are revolutionizing the interpretation of behavioral paradigms and improving experimental robustness.•Analytical innovations and cross-species approaches can refine translational research and improve the ethical use of animals.
The assessment of behavioral outcomes is a central component of neuroscientific research, which has required continuous technological innovations to produce more detailed and reliable findings. In this article, we provide an in-depth review on the progress and future implications for three model organisms (mouse, rat, and Drosophila) essential to our current understanding of behavior. By compiling a comprehensive catalog of popular assays, we are able to compare the diversity of tasks and usage of these animal models in behavioral research. This compilation also allows for the evaluation of existing state-of-the-art methods and experimental applications, including optogenetics, machine learning, and high-throughput behavioral assays. We go on to discuss novel apparatuses and inter-species analyses for centrophobism, feeding behavior, aggression and mating paradigms, with the goal of providing a unique view on comparative behavioral research. The challenges and recent advances are evaluated in terms of their translational value, ethical procedures, and trustworthiness for behavioral research.