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Ontogenetic differences in adolescent and adult C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice: Anxiety‐like, locomotor, and consummatory behaviors
Author(s) -
Moore Eileen M.,
Linsenbardt David N.,
Melón Laverne C.,
Boehm Stephen L.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.20501
Subject(s) - ontogeny , novelty seeking , psychology , anxiety , novelty , developmental psychology , inbred strain , locomotor activity , physiology , biology , endocrinology , gene , genetics , personality , psychiatry , social psychology , temperament
Adolescence is a highly conserved period during which mammals undergo a number of hormonal, biological, and behavioral changes [Spear [2000] Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 24: 417–463]. Ethical constraints limit the research that can be done in human adolescents. Rodents provide a useful model of at least some of the features of adolescence, including increases in body growth, differences in sleep/wake, and eating patterns, as well as differences in risk‐taking, novelty seeking, and exploratory behaviors. Much of the available developmental research has utilized rats; however, the use of inbred mouse strains provides a unique means to assess the genetic factors involved in behavioral differences during adolescence. We assessed differences between adults and adolescents in anxiety‐like, locomotor, and consummatory behaviors using two commonly used inbred strains of mice, the DBA/2J and C57BL/6J strains. Age and genotype‐dependent differences were found in all three behaviors measured, suggesting both factors are important determinants of behavior in mice. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 53:141–156, 2011