title: Genetic contributions to generalized arousal of brain and behavior.
abstract: We have identified a generalized arousal component in the behavior of mice. Analyzed by mathematical/statistical approaches across experiments, investigators, and mouse populations, it accounts for about 1/3 of the variance in arousal-related measures. Knockout of the gene coding for the classical estrogen receptor (ER-alpha), a ligand-activated transcription factor, greatly reduced arousal responses. In contrast, disrupting the gene for a likely gene duplication product, ER-beta, did not have these effects. A combination of mathematical and genetic approaches to arousal in an experimentally tractable mammal opens up analysis of a CNS function of considerable theoretical and practical significance.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garey
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goodwillie
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frohlich
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: J-A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Smithies
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Korach
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Pfaff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D005823:Genetics; D051379:Mice; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal