Validity of head-dipping as a measure of exploration in a modified hole-board

File, Sandra E.; Wardill, Ann G.

doi:10.1007/bf00421184

Cited by 623 publications

(250 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…We therefore measured explorative behaviour using a context –the hole-board test 21,22 (Fig. 5a)– which promotes slow-speed locomotion for exploratory purposes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Midbrain circuits that set locomotor speed and gait selection

Caggiano¹,

Leiras²,

Goñi-Erro³

et al. 2018

Nature

365

511

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Summary Locomotion is a fundamental motor function common to the animal kingdom. It is executed episodically and adapted to behavioural needs including exploration, requiring slow locomotion, and escaping behaviour, necessitating faster speeds. The control of these functions originates in brainstem structures although the neuronal substrate(s) supporting them are debated. Here, we show in mice that speed/gait selection are controlled by glutamatergic excitatory neurons (GlutNs) segregated in two distinct midbrain nuclei: the Cuneiform Nucleus (CnF) and the Pedunculopontine Nucleus (PPN). GlutNs in each of those two regions are sufficient for controlling slower alternating locomotor behavior but only GlutNs in the CnF are necessary for high-speed synchronous locomotion. Additionally, PPN- and CnF-GlutNs activation dynamics and their input and output connectivity matrices support explorative and escape locomotion, respectively. Our results identify dual regions in the midbrain that act in common to select context dependent locomotor behaviours.

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“…We therefore measured explorative behaviour using a context –the hole-board test 21,22 (Fig. 5a)– which promotes slow-speed locomotion for exploratory purposes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Midbrain circuits that set locomotor speed and gait selection

Caggiano¹,

Leiras²,

Goñi-Erro³

et al. 2018

Nature

365

511

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In some studies, exposure to a novel environment immediately before testing in the elevated plus maze increases motor activity in the elevated plus maze and a greater likelihood of entering the open arms of the maze 1,25,26 . Although indices of anxiety behavior in the elevated plus maze do not correlate with the amount of exploration in a hole-board 27 , using the hole-board task immediately before elevated plus maze testing can provide additional indices of activity and exploration (i.e., rearing and head dipping) 25,26 , which are independent of plus maze exposure, to rule out changes in open arm exploration being due to changes in general activity and/or exploratory motivation. For instance, this method has been successfully used to demonstrate anxioselectivity of the long-lasting impact of experimental epilepsy on rodents and the impact of predator stress exposure (both experimental situations that can alter activity) on plus maze anxiety 28,29 .…”

Section: Predictive Validity Of the Elevated Plus Mazementioning

confidence: 99%

The use of the elevated plus maze as an assay of anxiety-related behavior in rodents

2007

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The elevated plus maze is a widely used behavioral assay for rodents and it has been validated to assess the anti-anxiety effects of pharmacological agents and steroid hormones, and to define brain regions and mechanisms underlying anxiety-related behavior. Briefly, rats or mice are placed at the junction of the four arms of the maze, facing an open arm, and entries/duration in each arm are recorded by a video-tracking system and observer simultaneously for 5 min. Other ethological parameters (i.e., rears, head dips and stretchedattend postures) can also be observed. An increase in open arm activity (duration and/or entries) reflects anti-anxiety behavior. In our laboratory, rats or mice are exposed to the plus maze on one occasion; thus, results can be obtained in 5 min per rodent. INTRODUCTIONThe elevated plus maze has been described as a simple method for assessing anxiety responses of rodents by File and co-workers 1 . A task, using a Y-shaped apparatus that included an elevated open alley, which produced a strong approach-avoidance conflict, and an enclosed alley, which did not, was first described by Montgomery 2 . This task was modified into an elevated maze with four arms (two open and two enclosed) that are arranged to form a plus shape and was described by Handley and Mithani 3 . These authors described the assessment of anxiety behavior of rodents by using the ratio of time spent on the open arms to the time spent on the closed arms. Unlike other behavioral assays used to assess anxiety responses that rely upon the presentation of noxious stimuli (i.e., electric shock, food/water deprivation, loud noises, exposure to predator odor, etc.) that typically produce a conditioned response, the elevated plus maze relies upon rodents' proclivity toward dark, enclosed spaces (approach) and an unconditioned fear of heights/open spaces (avoidance) 4 .There is great diversity in possible applications of the elevated plus maze. To name a few, prescreening of newly developed pharmacological agents for treatment of anxiety-related disorders can be carried out. The anxiolytic and anxiogenic effects of pharmacological agents, drugs of abuse and hormones can be investigated. The effects of reproductive senescence/aging and/or pre-, peri-or postnatal exposure to various stressors can be assessed. Furthermore, beyond its utility as a model to detect anxiolytic effects of benzodiazepine-related compounds, the elevated plus maze can be used as a behavioral assay to study the brain sites (e.g., limbic regions, hippocampus, amygdala, dorsal raphe nucleus, etc. 5,6 ) and mechanisms (e.g., GABA, glutamate, serotonin, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis neuromodulators, etc. 1,3,[7][8][9][10][11][12] ) underlying anxiety behavior. Indeed, the elevated plus maze has been used as a model of state, unconditioned anxiety for over two decades, and there are now over 2,000 papers related to this topic. Because a lengthy discussion of these key findings is beyond the scope of this protocol, readers are referred to several excellent an...

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“…The head dipping frequency displayed by rodents during the HB test is considered as an appropriate parameter evaluating exploration (File and Wardill, 1975). Interestingly, CB1 receptor activation was shown to mediate changes in exploratory activity in mice Hernández-Tristán et al, 2000).…”

Section: The Role Of Cb1 Receptor In Different Neuronal Populations Imentioning

confidence: 99%

Biphasic Effects of Cannabinoids in Anxiety Responses: CB1 and GABAB Receptors in the Balance of GABAergic and Glutamatergic Neurotransmission

Rey

Purrio

Viveros

et al. 2012

Neuropsychopharmacol

282

198

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Biphasic effects of cannabinoids have been shown in processes such as feeding behavior, motor activity, motivational processes and anxiety responses. Using two different tests for the characterization of anxiety-related behavior (elevated plus-maze and holeboard), we first identified in wild-type C57BL/6N mice, two doses of the synthetic CB1 cannabinoid receptor agonist CP-55,940 with anxiolytic (1 mg/kg) and anxiogenic properties (50 mg/kg), respectively. To clarify the role of CB1 receptors in this biphasic effect, both doses were applied to two different conditional CB1 receptor knockout (KO) mouse lines, GABA-CB1-KO (CB1 receptor inactivation in forebrain GABAergic neurons) and Glu-CB1-KO (CB1 receptor inactivation in cortical glutamatergic neurons). We found that the anxiolytic-like effects of the low dose of cannabinoids are mediated via the CB1 receptor on cortical glutamatergic terminals, because this anxiolytic-like response was abrogated only in Glu-CB1-KO mice. On the contrary, the CB1 receptor on the GABAergic terminals is required to induce an anxiogenic-like effect under a high-dose treatment because of the fact that this effect was abolished specifically in GABA-CB1-KO mice. These experiments were carried out in both sexes, and no differences occurred with the doses tested in the mutant mice. Interestingly, the positive allosteric modulation of GABA B receptor with GS-39783 was found to largely abrogate the anxiogenic-like effect of the high dose of CP-55,940. Our results shed new light in further understanding the biphasic effects of cannabinoids at the molecular level and, importantly, pave the way for the development of novel anxiolytic cannabinoid drugs, which may have favorable effect profiles targeting the CB1 receptor on glutamatergic terminals.

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Validity of head-dipping as a measure of exploration in a modified hole-board

Cited by 623 publications

References 15 publications

Midbrain circuits that set locomotor speed and gait selection

Midbrain circuits that set locomotor speed and gait selection

The use of the elevated plus maze as an assay of anxiety-related behavior in rodents

Biphasic Effects of Cannabinoids in Anxiety Responses: CB1 and GABAB Receptors in the Balance of GABAergic and Glutamatergic Neurotransmission

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