Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Koeniginstr. 16, 80539, Munich, Germany.
Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, Halle (Saale), Germany.
Sci Rep. 2022 Feb 15;12(1):2550. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-06395-1.
Evidence exists that behavioral patterns only stabilize once mice reach adulthood. Detailed information about the course of behavioral patterns is of particular relevance for neuroscientific research and for the assessment of cumulative severity in genetically modified mice. The analysis considered five age groups focusing on behavioral assessments in the animals' familiar home cage environment during the adolescence phase. We confirmed age- and sex-specific differences for several of the behavioral parameters and fecal corticosterone metabolites. Interestingly, an age-dependent decline in saccharin preference was detected in female mice. Regardless of sex, relevant levels of burrowing activity were only observed during later developmental phases. The development of nest complexity following the offer of new material was affected by age in female mice. In female and male mice, an age-dependency was evident for wheel running reaching a peak at P 50. A progressive increase with age was also observed for Open field activity. The data sets provide guidance for behavioral studies and for development of composite measure schemes for evidence-based severity assessment in young mice. Except for the burrowing test, the different behavioral tests can be applied in different age groups during post-weaning development. However, age- and sex-specific characteristics need to be considered.
有证据表明，行为模式只有在老鼠成年后才会稳定下来。行为模式的详细信息对于神经科学研究和评估遗传修饰小鼠的累积严重程度特别重要。该分析考虑了五个年龄组，重点是青春期阶段在动物熟悉的家笼环境中的行为评估。我们证实了几个行为参数和粪便皮质酮代谢物的年龄和性别特异性差异。有趣的是，在雌性小鼠中检测到了与年龄相关的蔗糖偏好下降。无论性别如何，只有在后期发育阶段才能观察到相关的挖掘活动水平。提供新材料后，巢穴复杂性的发展受雌性小鼠年龄的影响。在雌性和雄性小鼠中，轮跑的年龄依赖性在 P50 时达到峰值。随着年龄的增长，旷场活动也呈逐渐增加的趋势。这些数据集为行为研究和制定基于证据的年轻小鼠严重程度评估综合衡量方案提供了指导。除了挖掘测试外，不同的行为测试可以在断奶后发育的不同年龄组中应用。但是，需要考虑年龄和性别特异性特征。
