Comparisons between C57BL/6J and A/J mice in motor activity and coordination, hole-poking, and spatial learning.
The C57BL/6J (B6) inbred mouse strain was compared to the A/J inbred strain for motor activity in an open-field, exploration of a hole-board, motor coordination in the coat-hanger test, and spatial learning in the Morris water maze. B6 mice displayed a higher number of segment crossings in the open-field and of hole-poking responses than A/J mice. The performance of B6 mice was superior to that of A/J mice not only in the submerged but also in the visible platform version of the Morris water maze. By contrast to their hypoactivity, the A/J strain had shorter movement times in the coat-hanger test, indicating faster motor speed, although the groups did not differ in latencies before falling. These results indicate that recombinant inbred or congenic strains derived from B6 and A/J mice offer considerable potential for discerning the genetic basis of several behavioral phenotypes.
Thifault
S
S
Laboratoire de médecine moléculaire and Service de neurologie, Centre de recherche, Hôtel-Dieu du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Qué., Montréal, Canada.
Lalonde
R
R
Sanon
N
N
Hamet
P
P
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000235:genetics*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*