title: Characterizing social behavior in genetically targeted mouse models of brain disorders.
abstract: Fragile X syndrome, the leading inherited cause of mental retardation and autism spectrum disorders worldwide, is caused by a tandem repeat expansion in the FMR1 (fragile X mental retardation 1) gene. It presents with a distinct behavioral phenotype which overlaps significantly with that of autism. Emerging evidence suggests that tandem repeat polymorphisms (TRPs) might also play a key role in modulating disease susceptibility for a range of common polygenic disorders, including the broader autism spectrum of disorders (ASD) and other forms of psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder [1]. In order to understand how TRPs and associated gene mutations mediate pathogenesis, various mouse models have been generated. A crucial step in such functional genomics is high-quality behavioral and cognitive phenotyping. This chapter presents a basic behavioral battery for standardized tests for assaying social phenotypes in mouse models of brain disorders, with a focus on aggression.
authors.affiliation: Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Emma L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Burrows
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hannan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005600:Fragile X Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012919:Social Behavior; D019680:Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion
chemical_list: D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1; C497684:Fmr1 protein, mouse