Open AccessA hitchhiker's guide to behavioral analysis in laboratory rodents
Author(s) -
Sousa N.,
Almeida O. F. X.,
Wotjak C. T.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
genes, brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1601-183X
pISSN - 1601-1848
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2006.00228.x
Subject(s) - behavioral analysis , behavioural genetics , context (archaeology) , functional analysis , psychology , animal behavior , cognition , function (biology) , determinism , behavioral pattern , cognitive psychology , cognitive science , neuroscience , developmental psychology , biology , computer science , evolutionary biology , genetics , zoology , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics , gene , software engineering
Genes and environment are both essential and interdependent determinants of behavioral responses. Behavioral genetics focuses on the role of genes on behavior. In this article, we aim to provide a succinct, but comprehensive, overview of the different means through which behavioral analysis may be performed in rodents. We give general recommendations for planning and performing behavioral experiments in rats and mice, followed by brief descriptions of experimental paradigms most commonly used for the analysis of reflexes, sensory function, motor function and exploratory, social, emotional and cognitive behavior. We end with a discussion of some of the shortcomings of current concepts of genetic determinism and argue that the genetic basis of behavior should be analyzed in the context of environmental factors.