title: Contextual and cued fear conditioning test using a video analyzing system in mice.
abstract: The contextual and cued fear conditioning test is one of the behavioral tests that assesses the ability of mice to learn and remember an association between environmental cues and aversive experiences. In this test, mice are placed into a conditioning chamber and are given parings of a conditioned stimulus (an auditory cue) and an aversive unconditioned stimulus (an electric footshock). After a delay time, the mice are exposed to the same conditioning chamber and a differently shaped chamber with presentation of the auditory cue. Freezing behavior during the test is measured as an index of fear memory. To analyze the behavior automatically, we have developed a video analyzing system using the ImageFZ application software program, which is available as a free download at http://www.mouse-phenotype.org/. Here, to show the details of our protocol, we demonstrate our procedure for the contextual and cued fear conditioning test in C57BL/6J mice using the ImageFZ system. In addition, we validated our protocol and the video analyzing system performance by comparing freezing time measured by the ImageFZ system or a photobeam-based computer measurement system with that scored by a human observer. As shown in our representative results, the data obtained by ImageFZ were similar to those analyzed by a human observer, indicating that the behavioral analysis using the ImageFZ system is highly reliable. The present movie article provides detailed information regarding the test procedures and will promote understanding of the experimental situation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University; Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology (CREST).
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shoji
authors.affiliation: Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology (CREST); Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences.
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takao
authors.affiliation: Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University; Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology (CREST).
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.affiliation: Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University; Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology (CREST); Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences; miyakawa@fujita-hu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012984:Software; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*