title: Normal inhibitory avoidance learning and anxiety, but increased locomotor activity in mice devoid of PrP(C).
abstract: Prions are the causative agents of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The transmissible agent (PrP(Sc)) is an abnormal form of PrP(C), a normal neuronal protein. The physiological role of PrP(C) remains unclear. In the present report, we evaluated behavioral parameters in Prnp(0/0) mice devoid of PrP(C). Prnp(0/0) mice showed normal short- and long-term retention of a step-down inhibitory avoidance task and normal behavior in an elevated plus maze test of anxiety. During a 5-min exploration of an open field, Prnp(0/0) mice showed normal number of rearings, defecation, and latency to initiate locomotion, but a significant increase in the number of crossings. The results suggest that Prnp(0/0) mice show normal fear-motivated memory, anxiety and exploratory behavior, and a slight increase in locomotor activity during exploration of a novel environment.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Memória, Departamento de Bioquímica, ICBS, UFRGS (Campus da Saúde), Porto Alegre, Brazil. roesler@vortex.ufrgs.br
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roesler
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quevedo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de-Paris
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zanata
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Graner
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Izquierdo
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Brentani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018621:PrPC Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018621:PrPC Proteins