Whisker dependent responsiveness of C57BL/6J to different behavioral test paradigms.

Whisker dependent responsiveness of C57BL/6J to different behavioral test paradigms.
Behav Brain Res. 2017 Aug 16;:
Authors: Haridas S, Ganapathi R, Kumar M, Manda K
Abstract
Whisker trimming is very common in C57BL/6J mice. Dewhiskering may lead to an alteration in the thalamocortical connectivity and relevant behavioral functions. Since C57BL/6J is a commonly used strain for neurobehavioral studies, it is important to examine how whisker dependent heterogeneity affects the internal validity of behavioral phenotypes. The present study aimed to investigate the responsiveness of mice to different behavioral test paradigms in the presence or absence of whiskers. We employed two models of whisker deprivation: Acute Whisker Desensitization (AWD) and Chronic Habitual Dewhiskering (CHD). The AWD model blocks whisker sensation lidocaine application. For CHD model, mice at the age of 12 weeks were carefully scrutinized for presence or absence of whiskers and divided into three groups, the whiskered mice, partially dewhiskered mice and completely dewhiskered mice. The whisker-dependent behavioral functions were assessed using open field test, novel object recognition test, marble burying test and forced swim test. Our results showed that habitual dewhiskering significantly altered the short-term memory and basal anxiety-like functions. Such behavioral alteration due to dewhiskering was significantly different in fully and partially dewhiskere...

Source: Behavioural Brain Research - August 16, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Haridas S, Ganapathi R, Kumar M, Manda K Tags: Behav Brain Res Source Type: research