GMC01 project protocol
Locomotor activity and exploratory and anxiety-related behaviors assessed by the open field test in 8 inbred founder strains of the Collaborative Cross (2020)
German Mouse Clinic and Department of Infection Genetics, HZI
With: Hrabě de Angelis M, Fuchs H, Gailus-Durner V, Garrett L, Hölter-Koch S, Wurst W, Lengger C, Kollmus H, Schughart K
GMC01 animal documentation
German Mouse Clinic: Phenotyping Pipeline
Open field test: 8-9 wks of age
Project
protocol
-
Contents
Workflow
and
sampling
Step
Procedure
Equipment
Data
collected
1
Mice transported to test room or antechamber to acclimate for 30 min
-
-
2
Individual mice placed in arena for 20 min session; activity recorded
Open field arena
Locomotor activity, exploratory and anxiety-related parameters
Equipment
and
supplies
Open field arena: TSE Systems GmbH (ActiMot2), Bad Homburg GERMANY
Peripheral zone: 8 cm from edge of arena walls
Central zone: ~40% of total surface area of arena
Software: TSE ActiMot version 08.00
Procedure: Open field test
Mice are acclimated to the test room for 30 min.
Lighting conditions are set to 150-200 lux; detection parameters for the video-tracking system are set for the detection of coat colors.
Testing is conducted during the light phase of the cycle with 1-h gap from the light/dark change.
Ideally, males are tested before females.
Individual mice are placed in the middle of a peripheral zone of the arena facing the wall and allowed to explore freely (experimenter out of sight).
Activity is recorded for 20 min, in 5-min bins.
Mice are returned to their homecage, and the apparatus is wiped clean after each test.
Data
collected
by
investigator
Locomotor activity
Exploratory behaviors
Anxiety-related behaviors