Variations in the behaviors to novel objects among five inbred strains of mice

Abstract

Novelty stimuli cause various behavioral responses, such as exploration and avoidance, and contextual variables may contribute to the behavioral outputs. Here, we tried to compare the behavioral responses to novel objects of five inbred strains of mice (C57BL/6J, 129/svJae, C3H/ HeJ, BALB/cJ and DBA/2J) by using a modified novel object test where a small light-weight cube wrapped with paper was presented to mice in a home cage without beddings. In response to these objects, the C57BL/6J, 129/svJae and C3H/HeJ mice showed mild exploratory behaviors, such as approaching, sniffing or brief contact. In striking contrast, the BALB/cJ and DBA/2J mice, which have been known to show high avoidance/low exploration in other behavioral paradigms, exhibited play-like secondary reactions toward the objects after initial primary exploratory behaviors. Specifically, DBA/2J mice would move the object around in the cage, holding it with their mouths, and BALB/cJ mice would gnaw the object, eventually stripping off the wrapping paper. Such behaviors decreased when similar objects were presented repeatedly. The present results suggest that active manipulations of novel objects may be a relevant parameter for measuring novelty-induced behaviors in mice and appear to be strongly influenced by genetic factors.

Computer automated movement detection for the analysis of behavior

“…Visual scoring of the data yielded similar results. This fits in with past studies which describe rodents responding to novelty with both avoidance and exploration (Kim et al, 2005).…”

Medial septal GABAergic projection neurons promote object exploration behavior and type 2 theta rhythm

“…This activity is elicited and sustained by the physical presence of an object. Several types of preference or "novelty" tests have been developed to investigate object exploration in rodents (3,(5)(6)(7). Environmental or spatial exploration in the absence of objects refers to the inquisitive activity of an animal in a new space, where the eliciting and sustaining stimulus is the "place" itself.…”

“…Furthermore, Ca v 3.1 T-type Ca 2+ channels in the septo-hippocampal GABAergic projection neurons are critically involved in controlling object exploration through modulating hippocampal type 2 theta rhythm. −/− (KO) and WT littermates using published protocols, with some modifications (6,26). Moreover, in the home cage, Ca v 3.1 −/− mice were more active than their WT littermates, prompting us to more closely examine the exploratory behavior of the Ca v 3.1 −/− mice.…”

“…In rodents, novel stimuli elicit a behavioral conflict between avoidance and exploration (1,33). The novelty behavior paradigm is a method to elicit relatively robust approach behaviors in rodents when they encounter novel objects (6,34,35). Hippocampal theta rhythms are associated with diverse cognitive and behavioral functions in rodents and humans (17,36,37).…”

Feeling Strained? Influence of Genetic Background on Depression-Related Behavior in Mice: A Review

“…Wellknown examples include the difficulties in assessing strains with retinal degeneration (for example the C3H/He) in visual discrimination tasks and in visually cued spatial memory tasks (at which the C3H/He have been shown to be deficient, see Brooks et al 2004 for an example). Another recent example which may have implications for the assessment of cortex-dependent memory was provided by Kim et al (2005), where the responses of different strains to a novel object was evaluated. The object was a styrofoam cube wrapped with paper.…”