Neurophysiological screen is a series of tests for neonatal, juvenile, or adult mice that are conducted by trained observers for examination of general health and gross physiological responses, as well as assessments of gross sensory (vision, touch, taste, olfaction, audition) and motor functions. In additional we can assess hearing at different intensities and frequencies (MedAssociates equipment).
Motor Performance
- Open field activity with Digiscan analyses (Accuscan Instruments equipment and software for scoring motor activity)
- Ethological behaviors in the open field (CleverSys TopScan analyses software for behavioral scoring)
- Accelerating and constant-speed rotorod for coordination, balance and motor learning (MedAssociates equipment)
- Treadmill (Columbus Instruments equipment with software for monitoring of speed, distance run and time)
- Active gait analyses (CleverSys TreadScan equipment and software for automated analyses of gait)
- Passive gait analyses (CleverSys GaitScan equipment and software for automated analyses of gait)
- Parallel rod or foot-fault test for coordination and balance (CleverSys equipment and software for behavioral scoring)
- Fore- and rear-paw grip strength (San Diego instruments equipment)
- Horizontal and vertical bar tests for coordination and balance
- Running wheels (Lafayette Instruments equipment)
- Circadian activity with ClockLab Analysis software
- Tests for akinesia, rigidity, and ptosis
- Acoustic startle response (MedAssociates equipment)
- Horizontal bar and inclined screen tests for catalepsy
- Parkinson’s phenotype – Rapid Screen (ptosis, catalepsy, akinesia, grasping, hunched back, flexibility and rigidity).
- Apomorphine climbing test (Cleversys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Pharmacological assessment of motor performance
Anxiety-like Behavior
- Light-dark emergence test (MedAssociates equipment and with Cleversys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Elevated zero maze (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Elevated plus maze (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Novelty-suppressed feeding (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Open field activity (thigmotaxis, center time and center activity) (Accuscan Instruments equipment)
- Fetal stress model of anxiety
- Neonatal stress model of anxiety
- Mouse defense test battery
- Vogel conflict test (MedAssociates equipment)
- Hyperarousal of the acoustic startle response (MedAssociates equipment)
- Pharmacological assessment of anxiety-like behaviors
Depressive-like Behavior
- Tail suspension (MedAssociates equipment)
- Forced swim test (CleverSys ForcedSwim software for behavioral scoring)
- Learned helplessness (MedAssociates equipment)
- Anhedonia tests with sucrose, saccharin, and/or psychostimulants
- Novelty-suppressed feeding (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Electroconvulsive therapy (Ugo Basile equipment)
- Fetal stress model of depression
- Neonatal model of depression
- Analyses of plasma/serum stress hormones
- Analyses of plasma/serum catecholamines
- Pharmacological assessment of depressive-like behaviors
Cognition
- Prepulse inhibition for sensorimotor gating and pre-attention function (San Diego Instruments equipment)
- Tests of orientation to visual stimuli and attention
- Tests of simple discrimination using olfactory, visual or tactile cues
- Tests of procedural memory
- Conditioned orienting response (MedAssociates equipment)
- Vigilance and distraction tasks (MedAssociates equipment)
- 5-Choice serial reaction time test (MedAssociates equipment)
- Spontaneous alternation in Y- or T-maze for spatial memory (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Radial arm maze for spatial and working memory (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Morris water maze for spatial memory, memory plasticity, and remote memory (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Barnes maze for spatial memory (San Diego instruments equipment)
- Object recognition memory with visual or tactile stimuli (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Object recognition memory with spatial dislocation (Cleversys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Social transmission of food preference (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Y- and T-maze for short-term memory (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Latent inhibition (licking and shuttle box tests – MedAssociates equipment)
- Eichenbaum test of transverse associative learning (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Tests of memory load with the Eichenbaum test
- Passive avoidance (MedAssociates equipment)
- Active avoidance (MedAssociates equipment)
- Step-down avoidance (MedAssocites equipment)
- Conditioned avoidance responding (MedAssociates equipment)
- Contextual and cued fear conditioning and extinction (MedAssociates equipment and CleverSys software for behavioral scoring)
- Fear-potentiated startle (MedAssociates equipment)
Habituation
- Open field activity (Accuscan Instruments equipment)
- Y- or T-maze (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Response to novel object (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Checking behavior (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
Impulsivity
- Motor impulsivity in a plus- or Y-maze (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Cliff avoidance test
- Step-down passive avoidance (MedAssociates equipment)
- Differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (MedAssociates equipment)
- Go/No-Go test (MedAssociates equipment)
- Attention and cognition testing (MedAssociates equipment)
Social Behavior
- Social dominance tube
- Social hierarchy assessment in the home-cage (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Sociability tests of social affiliation and social preference (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Resident-intruder (familiar environment) test (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Dyadic social behavior (novel environment) test (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Sexual behavior (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Maternal behavior (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
- Mother-pup interactions (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring; Avisoft equipment and software for vocal analyses)
- Ultrasonic vocalizations (Avisoft equipment and software for vocal analyses)
- Juvenile play behavior (CleverSys and Noldus software for behavioral scoring)
Drug responses
- Behavioral sensitization (Accuscan Instruments equipment)
- Conditioned place preference (MedAssociates equipment)
- Conditioned place aversion (MedAssociates equipment)
- Self-stimulation (MedAssociates equipment)
- Self-administration (MedAssociates equipment)
- Catalepsy
- Pharmacological responses to anxiolytic, antidepressant, antipsychotic, and other drugs that affect neuropsychiatric function
Eating and Drinking Behavior, Indirect Calorimetry
- CLAMS indirect calorimetry, monitors for activity, eating and drinking (Columbus Instruments equipment)
- Food intake monitoring (Columbus Instruments equipment)
Nocioceptive Responses
- Thermal sensitivity – hot plate and tail flick (Columbus Instruments equipment)
- Sensitivity to aversive stimuli (MedAssociates equipment)
- Tactile responses – von Frey (EB Instruments equipment)
- Pincher analgesia test (EB Instruments equipment)
- Inflammatory response – calipers (VWR equipment)
- Inflammatory response – plethysmometer (EB Instruments equipment)
- Shock threshold sensitivity (MedAssociates equipment)
Neurochemical Analyses
- HPLC analyses of plasma catecholamines (ESA equipment)
- HPLC analyses of plasma serotonin (ESA equipment)
- HPLC analyses of tissue monoamines (ESA equipment)
- HPLC analyses of tissue acetylcholine (ESA equipment)
- HPLC analyses of microdialysis samples for monoamines and acetylcholine (Anatec equipment)
Neuroendocrine Analyses
- Glucose and insulin tolerance tests
- Hormonal analyses – radioimmunoassay or ELISA
- Peptide analyses – radioimmunoassay or ELISA
