Optimising reliability of mouse performance in behavioural testing: the major role of non-aversive handling
Optimising reliability of mouse performance in behavioural testing: the major role of non-aversive handling
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DOI：
10.1038/srep44999
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发表时间：
2017-03-21
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Hurst, Jane L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gouveia, Kelly;Hurst, Jane L.
在试验过程中处理实验室动物是一个重要的压力来源，可能会损害试验响应的可靠性。抓着老鼠的尾巴是令人厌恶的，刺激压力和焦虑。焦虑的动物之间的反应可以进一步混淆对新的测试环境和避免在开放区域的测试刺激的新恐惧症。然而，处理压力可以大大减少使用处理隧道，或拔火罐小鼠没有限制开放的手。在这里，我们确定是否非厌恶处理，简短的事先熟悉的测试竞技场和替代刺激的位置可以显着提高小鼠的行为测试中的性能。我们使用一个简单的习惯化disabituation范式，其中动物必须区分两个尿液刺激在连续的试验，小鼠可以很容易地执行的任务。处理尾巴的小鼠几乎不愿意探索和研究测试刺激，导致测试表现不佳，并且通过之前的熟悉仅略有改善。相比之下，那些处理隧道探索容易，并表现出强大的反应，测试刺激，无论以前的熟悉或刺激位置，虽然反应更多变的杯子处理。我们的研究表明，非厌恶隧道处理可以大大提高小鼠的行为测试相比，传统的尾巴处理性能。
Handling laboratory animals during test procedures is an important source of stress that may impair reliability of test responses. Picking up mice by the tail is aversive, stimulating stress and anxiety. Responses among anxious animals can be confounded further by neophobia towards novel test environments and avoidance of test stimuli in open areas. However, handling stress can be reduced substantially by using a handling tunnel, or cupping mice without restraint on the open hand. Here we establish whether non-aversive handling, brief prior familiarisation with the test arena and alternative stimulus placement could significantly improve performance of mice in behavioural tests. We use a simple habituation-dishabituation paradigm in which animals must discriminate between two urine stimuli in successive trials, a task that mice can easily perform. Tail handled mice showed little willingness to explore and investigate test stimuli, leading to poor test performance that was only slightly improved by prior familiarisation. By contrast, those handled by tunnel explored readily and showed robust responses to test stimuli regardless of prior familiarisation or stimulus location, though responses were more variable for cup handling. Our study shows that non-aversive tunnel handling can substantially improve mouse performance in behavioural tests compared to traditional tail handling.