Pisula W, Osiński J T
Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw.
Behav Genet. 2000 Sep;30(5):375-84. doi: 10.1023/a:1002748521117.
Roman high- and low-avoidance (RHA/Verh and RLA/Verh) rats differ in their emotionality profiles. As emotional processes are considered to play an important role in exploratory behavior, differences between the Roman sublines in responding to a novel environment can be anticipated. The present study provides a quantitative (based on the frequency of particular responses) and qualitative (based on the frequency of behavioral sequences) comparison of exploratory behavior of RHA/Verh and RLA/Verh rats. Rats of both sexes were tested individually for 30 min in an exploration box containing a few objects. Observation periods were divided, based on earlier studies, into three consecutive blocks of 5, 10, and 15 min, respectively. Analysis of quantitative data showed differences in sniffing (RHA/Verh scoring higher) and in immobility (RLA/Verh scoring higher), both persisting throughout all measurement periods. Males of both sublines were generally more active and exploratory than their respective females. The analysis of sequential data revealed that during the first 5 min RHA/Verh rats showed a less diverse but more exploratory repertoire and that during the first 15 min males of both sublines showed more behavioral sequences than females. This study indicates that the Roman rat sublines should provide a useful model to study the mechanisms of exploratory behavior.
罗马高回避和低回避（RHA/Verh和RLA/Verh）大鼠在情绪特征上存在差异。由于情绪过程被认为在探索行为中起重要作用，可以预期罗马品系在对新环境的反应上存在差异。本研究对RHA/Verh和RLA/Verh大鼠的探索行为进行了定量（基于特定反应的频率）和定性（基于行为序列的频率）比较。将两性大鼠分别置于一个装有一些物体的探索箱中，单独测试30分钟。根据早期研究，观察期分为三个连续的时间段，分别为5分钟、10分钟和15分钟。定量数据分析显示，在嗅探方面（RHA/Verh得分更高）和静止不动方面（RLA/Verh得分更高）存在差异，且在所有测量时间段内均持续存在。两个品系的雄性大鼠总体上比各自的雌性大鼠更活跃、更具探索性。序列数据分析显示，在最初的5分钟内，RHA/Verh大鼠表现出的行为模式较少但探索性更强，在最初的15分钟内，两个品系的雄性大鼠比雌性大鼠表现出更多的行为序列。本研究表明，罗马大鼠品系应为研究探索行为的机制提供一个有用的模型。
