title: Cage-induced stereotypic behaviour in laboratory mice covaries with nucleus accumbens FosB/ΔFosB expression.
abstract: Stereotypic behaviour (SB) occurs in certain human disorders (e.g. autism), and animals treated with stimulants or raised in impoverished conditions, including laboratory mice in standard cages. Dysfunctional cortico-basal ganglia pathways have been implicated in these examples, but for cage-induced forms of SB, the relative roles of ventral versus dorsal striatum had not been fully ascertained. Here, we used immunohistochemical staining of FosB and ΔFosB to assess long-term activation within the nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen of C57BL/6 mice. Housed in typical laboratory cages, these mice spontaneously developed different degrees of route-tracing, bar-mouthing and other forms of SB (spending 0% to over 50% of their active time budgets in this behaviour). The most highly stereotypic mice showed the most elevated FosB/ΔFosB activity in the nucleus accumbens. No such patterns occurred in the caudate-putamen. The cage-induced SB common in standard-housed mice thus involves elevated activity within the ventral striatum, suggesting an aetiology closer to compulsive gambling, eating and drug-seeking than to classic amphetamine stereotypies and other behaviours induced by motor loop over-activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Choleris
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Kelsy S J
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Ervin
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Bristol, Langford, UK.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fureix
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Niel
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: gmason@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: Georgia J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Mason
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C483819:Fosb protein, mouse; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
keywords: Abnormal repetitive behaviour; Caudate-putamen; Nucleus accumbens; Stereotypic behaviour; Stereotypy; Striatum; Transcription factor; ΔFosB