Mice are commonly used as a model for study of stress and anxiety-related disorders in human patients. Laboratory strains of mice, however, are highly inbred, reared in artificial environments, and do not experience the same selective pressures as wild populations, such as the ability to forage and to elude predators. As a result, biomedical experiments conducted on laboratory strains may not be reflective of processes occurring in naturally reared mouse populations, and indeed, may not be reflective of what occurs in human patients.
Open field tests are a standard method of assessing anxiety in rodent populations. Preliminary data from the laboratories of Dr. John Godwin and Dr. Lisa McGraw indicate that mouse populations from the Farallon islands (an insular population that is not subject to predation) show distinct differences in open field test responses compared to c57BL/6 mice. The Farallon mice exhibited behaviors indicating decreased anxiety and increased boldness relative to the laboratory strain. Several prior studies have demonstrated that insular populations show distinct phenotypic differences from mainland wildtype mice. In addition, a number of investigators have demonstrated that lack of predation also exerts distinct phenotypic effects. However, the …show more content…
Effects will be evaluated between the two types on the basis of housing and sex. Our prediction is that the more naturally reared mice will exhibit a transcriptomic profile with more similarities to that of the Farallon Island mice. This information will be integrated with the behavioral testing performed by other laboratory members, where we predict that the more naturally reared c57BL/6 mice will exhibit behaviors more similar to Farallon mice for open field tests, as well as for other behavioral assessments such as social defeat
Open field tests are a standard method of assessing anxiety in rodent populations. Preliminary data from the laboratories of Dr. John Godwin and Dr. Lisa McGraw indicate that mouse populations from the Farallon islands (an insular population that is not subject to predation) show distinct differences in open field test responses compared to c57BL/6 mice. The Farallon mice exhibited behaviors indicating decreased anxiety and increased boldness relative to the laboratory strain. Several prior studies have demonstrated that insular populations show distinct phenotypic differences from mainland wildtype mice. In addition, a number of investigators have demonstrated that lack of predation also exerts distinct phenotypic effects. However, the …show more content…
Effects will be evaluated between the two types on the basis of housing and sex. Our prediction is that the more naturally reared mice will exhibit a transcriptomic profile with more similarities to that of the Farallon Island mice. This information will be integrated with the behavioral testing performed by other laboratory members, where we predict that the more naturally reared c57BL/6 mice will exhibit behaviors more similar to Farallon mice for open field tests, as well as for other behavioral assessments such as social defeat