title: Influence of gender and behavioural lateralisation on two exploratory models of anxiety in C3H mice.
abstract: Behavioural lateralisation, which has been postulated to be an individual personality trait, is related to the activity of various physiological systems including the immune system. As lateralisation has been related to anxiety, which is known to influence immune reactivity, it can be hypothesized that the relation between lateralisation and immune reactivity involves individual behavioural patterns as they appear in exploratory-based anxiety models. In order to answer this question, a behavioural investigation focussing on exploratory activity was undertaken in male and female C3H mice previously selected for their paw preference. The observations were performed using two generic paradigms: elevated plus-maze and open field. Exploratory behaviour in the open field, but not in the plus-maze, was influenced by the interactive effect of gender and behavioural lateralisation. A significant difference between male and female mice was found in left-pawed but not in right-pawed nor ambidextrous animals, left-pawed female mice displaying the less exploratory behaviours. These results provide a first evidence of inter-individual variations in exploratory behaviours involving interaction between gender and lateralisation.
authors.affiliation: U.F.R. des Sciences Biologiques et Pharmaceutiques, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Ibn Tofail, Kénitra, Morocco
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mrabet
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Es-Salah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Telhiq
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liège
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Choulli
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Neveu