Moy S S, Nadler J J, Perez A, Barbaro R P, Johns J M, Magnuson T R, Piven J, Crawley J N
North Carolina STAART Center for Autism Research, Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Genes Brain Behav. 2004 Oct;3(5):287-302. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-1848.2004.00076.x.
Deficits in social interaction are important early markers for autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders with strong genetic components. Standardized behavioral assays that measure the preference of mice for initiating social interactions with novel conspecifics would be of great value for mutant mouse models of autism. We developed a new procedure to assess sociability and the preference for social novelty in mice. To quantitate sociability, each mouse was scored on measures of exploration in a central habituated area, a side chamber containing an unfamiliar conspecific (stranger 1) in a wire cage, or an empty side chamber. In a secondary test, preference for social novelty was quantitated by presenting the test mouse with a choice between the first, now-familiar, conspecific (stranger 1) in one side chamber, and a second unfamiliar mouse (stranger 2) in the other side chamber. Parameters scored included time spent in each chamber and number of entries into the chambers. Five inbred strains of mice were tested, C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, FVB/NJ, A/J and B6129PF2/J hybrids. Four strains showed significant levels of sociability (spend- ing more time in the chamber containing stranger 1 than in the empty chamber) and a preference for social novelty (spending more time in the chamber containing stranger 2 than in the chamber containing the now-familiar stranger 1). These social preferences were observed in both male and female mice, and in juveniles and adults. The exception was A/J, a strain that demonstrated a preference for the central chamber. Results are discussed in terms of potential applications of the new methods, and the proper controls for the interpretation of social behavior data, including assays for health, relevant sensory abilities and motor functions. This new standardized procedure to quantitate sociability and preference for social novelty in mice provides a method to assess tendencies for social avoidance in mouse models of autism.
社交互动缺陷是自闭症及其他具有强大遗传成分的相关神经发育障碍的重要早期指标。对于自闭症突变小鼠模型而言，能够测量小鼠与新的同种个体发起社交互动偏好的标准化行为检测具有重要价值。我们开发了一种新方法来评估小鼠的社交能力和对社交新奇性的偏好。为了量化社交能力，每只小鼠会根据其在中央习惯化区域的探索情况、一个装有陌生同种个体（陌生鼠1）的铁丝笼侧室或一个空侧室中的探索情况进行评分。在第二项测试中，通过让受试小鼠在一侧室中选择与第一只现在已熟悉的同种个体（陌生鼠1），或在另一侧室中选择第二只陌生小鼠（陌生鼠2），来量化对社交新奇性的偏好。评分参数包括在每个室中花费的时间和进入室的次数。对五种近交系小鼠进行了测试，分别是C57BL/6J、DBA/2J、FVB/NJ、A/J和B6129PF2/J杂交小鼠。其中四种品系表现出显著的社交能力水平（在装有陌生鼠1的室中花费的时间比在空室中多）以及对社交新奇性的偏好（在装有陌生鼠2的室中花费的时间比在装有已熟悉陌生鼠1的室中多）。这些社交偏好现象在雄性和雌性小鼠以及幼年和成年小鼠中均有观察到。例外的是A/J品系，该品系表现出对中央室的偏好。本文将根据新方法的潜在应用以及社交行为数据解释的适当对照，包括健康检测、相关感官能力和运动功能检测，对结果进行讨论。这种用于量化小鼠社交能力和对社交新奇性偏好的新标准化程序，为评估自闭症小鼠模型中的社交回避倾向提供了一种方法。
