Anxiety in mice: a principal component analysis study.
Two principal component analyses of anxiety were undertaken investigating two strains of mice (ABP/Le and C57BL/6ByJ) in two different experiments, both classical tests for assessing anxiety in rodents. The elevated plus-maze and staircase were used for the first experiment, and a free exploratory paradigm and light-dark discrimination were used for the second. The components in the analyses produced definitions of four fundamental behavior patterns: novelty-induced anxiety, general activity, exploratory behavior, and decision making. We also noted that the anxious phenotype was determined by both strain and experimental procedure. The relationship between behavior patterns and the use of specific tests plus links with the genetic background are discussed.
Clément
Yan
Y
Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, CNRS UMR 7593, Université Paris 6, 91 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75634 Paris Cedex 13, France.
Joubert
Chantal
C
Kopp
Caroline
C
Lepicard
Eve M
EM
Venault
Patrice
P
Misslin
René
R
Cadot
Martine
M
Chapouthier
Georges
G
D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D025341:Principal Component Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013045:Species Specificity