SOCIAL INTERACTION
Social behaviors can be defined as all behavior that influences, or is influenced by, other members of the same species. The term thus refers to all behaviors tending to bring individuals together, such as sniffing, nipping, grooming, following, kicking, boxing, wrestling, jumping on, crawling over or under the partner for example.
Nowadays, it is generally recognized that social interactions are not unitary behaviors with a single neurological basis, but different features underlie social behavior, involving different neural and endocrine bases. Growing knowledge of these mechanisms triggering social behavior is essential, regarding their implication in pathologies, such as autism or schizophrenia, in which social behavior is altered.
In laboratory rodents, basal social behavior can therefore be examined in different situations, such as in a simple social interaction test by pairs of subjects or in more complex situations involving memory processes in particular.
Social behaviors can be defined as all behavior that influences, or is influenced by, other members of the same species. The term thus refers to all behaviors tending to bring individuals together, such as sniffing, nipping, grooming, following, kicking, boxing, wrestling, jumping on, crawling over or under the partner for example.
Nowadays, it is generally recognized that social interactions are not unitary behaviors with a single neurological basis, but different features underlie social behavior, involving different neural and endocrine bases. Growing knowledge of these mechanisms triggering social behavior is essential, regarding their implication in pathologies, such as autism or schizophrenia, in which social behavior is altered.
In laboratory rodents, basal social behavior can therefore be examined in different situations, such as in a simple social interaction test by pairs of subjects or in more complex situations involving memory processes in particular.
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EXPERIMENTAL TESTS
Social interaction test
The social interaction test by pairs provides a popular and standard paradigm to study general social behavior. This test consists in allowing the experimental subject freely exploring an unfamiliar congener in its homecage or in a neutral environment. Social exploration is measured by the time spent by the experimental subject around the congener as well as the amount and duration of behaviors that compose social interaction (e.g. sniffing, following, allogrooming, biting, mounting, wrestling…). Social avoidance behavior is used in a wide variety of models, for instance for assessing neophobia anxiety and depression-like behaviors.
- Classical social interaction test widely used in literature
- Quickly realized (5-10 minutes)
- Simple to set up and use
- Sensitive for both rats and mice
- Difficult to automatize
- Drug Screening
- Phenotyping
- Autism
- Schizophrenia
- Neophobia
- Anxiety
- Depression
The recognition test is based on the natural tendency of rodents to investigate a novel congener instead of a familiar one. In this task, a first phase consists in presenting a congener the experimental subject. In a second phase, the experimental subject is exposed to two congeners, including the known one and a novel one. Observations of social interactions classically shows that the experimental subject preferentially investigate the unknown congener. This innate tendency involves intact social interactions and memory processes.
- Allows studying both social and memory processes
- Short and long-term memory for social information and cues that identify individual subjects
- Requires amygdala-dependent and hippocampal-independent processes
- Less influenced by non-specific locomotor effects
- Standard test for phenotyping
- Simple to set up and use
- Does not require prior food deprivation
- Sensitive for both rats and mice
- Neurodegenerative diseases related to aging
- Alzheimer
- Drug screening
- Phenotyping
Social transmission of food preference is a test that is used in rodents to assess memory processes as well as social interaction ability. The test is based on the fact that rodents are able to learn about potential food sources by sampling those sources on the breath of littermates. This task requires a demonstrator, previously exposed to a scented food, which interacts with an observer to transmit it its food exposure experience. If social transmission of food preference has occurred, the observer will preferentially consume the same diet that was fed to the demonstrator when it will confronted to a choice.
- Allows studying both social and memory processes
- Evaluates ability to learn about the safety of food from its conspecifics
- Assesses long-term odor memory and consolidation studies
- Does not require exposure to aversive stimuli
- Standard test for phenotyping
- Sensitive for both rats and mice
- Influenced by non-specific effects on olfaction
- Alzheimer
- Drug screening
- Phenotyping
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
We welcome your ideas! If you have developed any instrument you feel may have significant interest for applied neuroscience, physiology and/or pharmacology, we would like to hear and discuss about it.
