Open AccessLong-Term Effects of Low-Intensity Blast Non-Inertial Brain Injury on Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Mice: Home-Cage Monitoring Assessments
Author(s) -
Heather R. Siedhoff,
Shanyan Chen,
Ashley Balderrama,
Grace Y. Sun,
Bastijn Koopmans,
Ralph G. DePalma,
Jiankun Cui,
Gu Z
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
neurotrauma reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2689-288X
DOI - 10.1089/neur.2021.0063
Subject(s) - anxiety , open field , medicine , elevated plus maze , intervention (counseling) , cage , physiology , psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , audiology , psychiatry , mathematics , combinatorics
Mild traumatic brain injury induced by low-intensity blast (LIB) exposure poses concerns in military personnel. Using an open-field, non-inertial blast model and assessments by conventional behavioral tests, our previous studies revealed early-phase anxiety-like behaviors in LIB-exposed mice. However, the impact of LIB upon long-term anxiety-like behaviors requires clarification. This study applied a highly sensitive automated home-cage monitoring (HCM) system, which minimized human intervention and environmental changes, to assess anxiety-like responses in mice 3 months after LIB exposure. Initial assessment of 72-h spontaneous activities in a natural cage condition over multiple light and dark phases showed altered sheltering behaviors. LIB-exposed mice exhibited a subtle, but significantly decreased, duration of short shelter visits as compared to sham controls. Other measured responses between LIB-exposed mice and sham controls were insignificant. When behavioral assessments were performed in a challenged condition using an aversive spotlight, LIB-exposed mice demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of movements of shorter distance and duration per movement. Taken together, these findings demonstrated the presence of chronic anxiety-like behaviors assessed by the HCM system under both natural and challenged conditions in mice occurring post-LIB exposure. This model thus provides a platform to test for screening and interventions on anxiety disorders occurring after LIB non-inertial brain injury.