Mouse behavior models

Schramm NL, McDonald MP, Limbird LE (2001) The alpha(2a)-adrenergic receptor plays a protective role in mouse behavioral models of depression and anxiety. J Neurosci 21 4875-4882... 

Schmidt P, Holsboer F, Spengler D (2001) Beta(2)-adrenergic receptors potentiate glucocorticoid receptor transactivation via G protein beta gamma-subimits and the phospho-inositide 3-kinase pathway. Mol Endocrinol 15 553-564 Schramm NL, McDonald MP, Limbird LE (2001) The alpha(2a)-adrenergic receptor plays a protective role in mouse behavioral models of depression and anxiety. J Neurosci 21 4875-4882... 

As examples for the wide field of specific disease areas and mouse models, we have included type 1 and 2 diabetes (Serreze and Baribault), cardiovascular disease (Howies), arthritis (Tak), skin disorders (Sundberg), cancer (Talmadge, Surguladze, and Li), the use of behavioral models for depression and anxiety (Kalueff), neurodegenerative diseases (Janus), neuromuscular diseases (Burgess), and infectious diseases (Medina). 

Reinscheid RK, Civelli O. The orphanin FQ/nociceptin knockout mouse a behavioral model for stress responses. Neuropeptides 2002 36 72-76. 

Animal models of fear and anxiety have primarily used the rat, the mouse and, to a lesser extent, nonhuman primates. It is not particularly difficult to evoke or measure anxiety in these species. However, difficulties arise when one attempts to define exactly how a stimulus and resultant behavioral response are related to human behavior, i.e. when a mouse exhibits freezing behavior to an unfamiliar and threatening cue, what is the human equivalent Or, similarly, what stimulus could one present to a rat to best model the anxiety-inducing-experience of... 

The clinical consequences of the currently used benzodiazepines range from sedation, muscle relaxation, seizure reduction, anxiolysis, and hypnosis. Clearly, it would be highly desirable to be able to separate some of these effects. In addition, it would be useful to reduce other undesirable consequences such as development of tolerance and dependence, abuse, synergistic interaction with ethanol, and memory impairment (for a comprehensive review see [22]). Animal models for some of the aforementioned conditions, in combination with transgenic mouse technology, have recently led to a deeper understanding of the contribution some of the individual a subunits make to these behaviors. 

In a PBPK model that used simulations with mice, rats, and humans (Corley et al. 1990), the tissue delivered dose from equivalent concentrations of chloroform was highest in the mouse, followed by rats and then humans. The authors suggest that this behavior is predicted by the model because of the lower relative rates of metabolism, ventilation, and cardiac output (per kg of body weight) in the... 

Several natural products have been evaluated in rodent models of nicotine withdrawal. An extract of Hypericum perforatum (St. John s Wort, a putative antidepressant, and inhibitor of serotonin reuptake) reversed somatically expressed withdrawal behaviors and locomotor depression in spontaneous withdrawal (Catania et al. 2003). A benzoflavone compound isolated from Passiflora incarnata, interfered with the induction of physical dependence. Coadministration with chronic nicotine prevented various subsequent indicators of withdrawal syndrome in the mouse, including jumping, locomotor inactivity, immobility in the swim test and naloxone-precipitated escape jumping (Dhawan et al. 2002). 

Whishaw IQ, Metz GA, Kolb B, Pellis SM (2001) Accelerated nervons system development contributes to behavioral efficiency in the laboratory mouse a behavioral review and theoretical proposal. Dev Psychobiol 39 151-170 Willner P (1984) The validity of animal models of depression. Psychopharmacology (fieri)... 

Recently, evidence was provided that in a rat model of innate high or low emotionality (see Sect. 3.1.1) the degree of anxiety is differentially associated with enhanced performance of distinct informational processes (Ohl et al. 2002). It was hypothesized that the increased anxiety-related behavior may be due to these differences in cognitive processing. Concerning the analysis of the interaction between anxiety and cognition, inbred mouse strains (see Sect. 3.1.2, such as C57BL/6 (BL6) and DBA/2 (DBA) mice, are also of interest. 

These examples underline that in the search for animal models of anxiety disorders it is not sufficient to screen for anxiety-related behavioral characteristics. On the contrary, it is of fundamental importance to phenotype extensively and carefully each potential animal model, even the well-established inbred mouse strains. 

Parmigiani S, Palanza P, Rodgers J, Ferrari PF (1999) Selection, evolution of behavior and animal models in behavioral neuroscience. Nemosci Biobehav Rev 23 957-970 Pellow S, Chopin P, File SE, Briley M (1985) Validation of open closed arm entries in an elevated plus-maze as a measure of anxiety in the rat. J Neurosci Methods 14 149-167 Picciotto MR (1999) Knock-out mouse models used to study nemobiological systems. Crit Rev Neurobiol 13 103-149... 

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