Marble Burying Autism

In this unit behavioral tests are described that are relevant to the domains affected in asd.

Marble burying autism.

Materials mice at least 6 weeks of age 70 ethanol for cleaning clean standard polycarbonate mouse cage 29 75 61 5 74 inches high 76 autism behavioral 156 188 cm high tests in mice 11 22 2. It has also been proposed that the test may have predictive validity for the screening of novel antidepressants 12 15 anxiolytics 15 16 and antipsychotics 17 19. The marble burying test occurred 8 days following the grooming test to ensure there were no potential residual effects from the initial drug treatment birdsall et al 1978. A primary advantage of the marble burying and nestlet shredding tests is the fact that each depends on natural and spontaneous behaviors of mice that can be quantified after test completion allowing a single investigator to set up an experiment and then remain outside of the testing room until sessions end.

Subjects received a different treatment before marble burying from that administered during the spontaneous self grooming experiment with the exception of three b6 mice. Mice were allowed to bury the marbles for 20 min. It has been suggested as a screening test for anxiolytic response but more recently has been proposed as modeling repetitive behaviors characteristic of mental disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder ocd or autism spectrum disorder asd thomas et al. Marble burying is an animal model used in scientific research to depict anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder ocd behavior.

Rodents naturally exhibit a large number of behaviors that can be linked to similar behaviors in human. Utilizing well characterized and validated approaches such as marble burying and nestlet shredding compulsive like behaviors can be documented accurately in mice as models of human obsessive compulsive disorder and autism spectrum disorder. For the repetitive domain the t maze spontaneous alternation test and marble burying test are described. Marble burying the marble burying test is a useful model of neophobia 1 anxiety 1 7 and obsessive compulsive behavior 8 11.

The marble burying test protocol described below is modified from deacon 2006 and angoa perez kane briggs francescutti kuhn 2013. Disease head injury genetic modifications and treatment of mice with drugs can have profound effects on behavior. Marble burying is a repetitive digging behavior that is perseverative and resistant to changes based on familiarity. Gene editing eases the frantic burying of marbles bottom right in a mouse model of fragile x syndrome bottom left.

Mice were placed individually in an open arena 51 5 cm by 51 5 cm by 31 cm containing fresh bedding i e sawdust 5 cm deep with 20 clean marbles prearranged in a 5 by 4 grid.