Advanced Automated Operant Wall Technology for Assessing Social Motivation in Mice
Dmitry A. Myagkov1, Dmitry V. Tuktarov1, Daria A. Zlatogorskaya2, Victoria V. Adushkina2, Ivan V. Fedosov1, Oxana V.Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya2,3.
1.Institute of Physics, , Saratov State University, Universitetskaya, 40, , 410012 Saratov, Russia.
2. Department of Biology, Saratov State University, Astrakhanskaya 82, 410012 Saratov, Russia.
3. Institute of Physics, Humboldt University, Newtonstrasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract
In recent years, the need to study various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, has led to the creation of mouse models for the study of mechanisms of these diseases, including social behavior. Due to this, the new techniques were created for analysis the relationship between the social behavior of mice and neurodegenerative diseases.
There are several established techniques that can be used to study social motivation in mice, but all have serious limitations in their ability to quantify the strength of motivated behavior. For example, some of the earliest behavioral assessments involve simply observing social interactions between two rodents that have never met. Several behaviors are often measured, including approaching, following, sniffing, and grooming, which can serve as indicators of social motivation. These studies were originally conducted in rats and later adapted for use in mice. To overcome these limitations, an automated operant wall was developed to study the social behavior of mice in a natural cage environment.
The device is designed to monitor the formation of conditioned instrumental reflexes during sequential learning of combinations of unconditioned and conditioned stimuli, as well as complex social behavior based on the transfer of experience between individuals. Since impairment of these functions is one of the main effects of Alzheimer's disease, the data obtained can enable an automated phenotyping system to quickly and efficiently diagnose the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of treatment. The technology can also be used to conduct pharmacological and toxicological studies.
The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 24-75-10047).
Speaker
Dmitry A. Myagkov
Saratov State University
Russia
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