After the acclimation period, the sliding door was removed, and the mice can choose either the left or right-side arm. The mice were placed in the starting area behind a sliding door, blocking the main stem and side arms and were given a 30 s acclimation period before the start of each trial. The T-maze has three designated parts: the main stem, the side arms, and the starting area (AccuScan Instruments, Inc.) 82. The test was video recorded and analyzed by the ANY-MAZE software (Stoelting Co.). The relative exploration time was recorded and expressed by a discrimination index. The duration of direct contact between the subject mouse and both the empty cup and the cup with the mouse was measured. The dividing doors were then removed to allow the mouse to freely travel between the three chambers for 10 min. The subject mouse was placed in the middle chamber and was given 5 min to explore with the dividing doors closed. In one of the cups on either side, a control mouse (an unfamiliar mouse of the same strain, gender, and age with no prior contact with the subject mouse) was placed.
Two wire mesh cups were placed in the middle of both the right and left chamber (one on each side). The social interaction test was performed using the three-chambered apparatus 82. The animals were scored based on time spent in the closed and open arms and the number of entries to the closed and open arms. The behavior was recorded and scored by two independent observers blind to the animal treatments.
During the test, the mice were placed in the center of the plus facing an open arm and were given 5 min to explore. Animals were given a 30-min period to habituate to the room before being tested.
A standard elevated plus-maze, made of grey Plexiglas, was placed in a sound-proof observation room with controlled light (200 Lux) on the central platform of the maze 83.
0 kommentar(er)
