Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.
Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany; International Center for Primate Brain Research, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT)/Institute of Neuroscience (ION), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Cell Rep. 2021 Apr 13;35(2):108987. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108987.
Rats have been used as animal models for human diseases for more than a century, yet a systematic understanding of basal biobehavioral phenotypes of laboratory rats is still missing. In this study, we utilize wireless tracking technology and videography, collect and analyze more than 130 billion data points to fill this gap, and characterize the evolution of behavior and physiology of group-housed male and female rats (n = 114) of the most commonly used strains (Lister Hooded, Long-Evans, Sprague-Dawley, and Wistar) throughout their development. The resulting intensive longitudinal data suggest the existence of strain and sex differences and bi-stable developmental states. Under standard laboratory 12-h light/12-h dark conditions, our study found the presence of multiple oscillations such as circatidal-like rhythms in locomotor activity. The overall findings further suggest that frequent movement along cage walls or thigmotaxic activity may be a physical feature of motion in constrained spaces, critically affecting the interpretation of basal behavior of rats in cages.
一个多世纪以来，老鼠一直被用作人类疾病的动物模型，但对实验室老鼠基本生物行为表型的系统认识仍存在空白。在这项研究中，我们利用无线跟踪技术和录像，收集和分析了超过 1300 亿个数据点，填补了这一空白，并描述了最常用品系（Lister Hooded、Long-Evans、Sprague-Dawley 和 Wistar）雄性和雌性群居大鼠（n=114）的行为和生理发育的演变。由此产生的密集纵向数据表明存在品系和性别差异以及双稳态发育状态。在标准实验室 12 小时光照/12 小时黑暗条件下，我们的研究发现了多种波动，如运动活动中的似潮汐节律。总体研究结果进一步表明，沿着笼子墙壁的频繁移动或触压活动可能是受限空间中运动的物理特征，这会严重影响对笼中大鼠基本行为的解释。
