Social Behavior Mice
Social Behavior Mice - Related Videos
06:41
Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors
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Cited by 561 •
2011
Here we describe a detailed protocol for examination of sociability in mice by using Crawley's sociability and preference for social novelty test. We describe the advantages and possible applications for this procedure, including critical details important for correct interpretation of the results.
07:43
Quantifying Social Motivation in Mice Using Operant Conditioning
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Cited by 35 •
2015
This article describes a new protocol for the quantitative measurement of social motivation in mice using operant conditioning for a social reward. The protocol is useful for the measurement of social motivation in mouse models of autism and other disorders of social behavior.
11:51
Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
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Cited by 9 •
2011
The procedure described in this protocol shows that testosterone administration and folk beliefs about testosterone may be associated with directly opposed social behaviors.
11:01
Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats
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Cited by 20 •
2014
The goal of the protocol presented here is to describe procedures to expose rats to moderate levels of alcohol during prenatal brain development and to quantify resulting alterations in social behavior during adulthood.
08:16
The Modified Hole Board - Measuring Behavior, Cognition and Social Interaction in Mice and Rats
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Cited by 28 •
2015
This protocol describes the modified hole board, which is a behavioral test set-up that comprises the characteristics of an open field and a traditional hole board. This set-up enables the differential analysis of unconditioned behavior of small laboratory mammals as well as the analysis of cognitive abilities.
FAQs
Mice combine olfactory, auditory, and tactile information rather than relying on a single sensory channel. These cues are processed through interconnected brain circuits that influence motivation, recognition, affiliation, aggression, and social avoidance. Examining how behavior changes when genes, hormones, neural activity, drugs, or disease are altered helps researchers connect sensory processing with specific social outcomes.
Responses to familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics can differ because recognition influences motivation and social preference. Measuring approach, investigation, interaction time, or preference toward different social targets allows researchers to examine recognition-related processing alongside affiliation or avoidance. This distinction is important for identifying whether an experimental change affects general interaction, social recognition, or the selection of a particular social partner.
These behaviors represent distinct outcomes of interconnected circuits that regulate social motivation and responses to other mice. A change in neural activity, hormones, genes, drugs, or disease may shift behavior toward affiliation, aggression, or avoidance rather than simply increasing or decreasing all social activity. Comparing these outcomes helps clarify which aspects of social regulation are affected.
Common behavioral measures include investigation, approach, interaction time, and social preference. Together, these observations provide different information: investigation and approach indicate engagement, interaction time reflects sustained social contact, and preference compares responses to social alternatives. Researchers use these measures to evaluate how experimental manipulations alter social responses without relying on a single behavioral indicator.
Researchers compare social measures after altering factors such as genes, hormones, neural activity, drugs, or disease-related conditions. They then assess changes in investigation, approach, interaction time, or social preference. This approach links a biological manipulation to observable social outcomes and can help identify whether the manipulation influences motivation, recognition, affiliation, aggression, or social avoidance.
Mouse social behavior provides a model for examining how brain processes support interaction with familiar or unfamiliar conspecifics. Neuroscience studies use it to investigate brain development, autism-related traits, anxiety, stress, and other conditions involving social behavior. Behavioral results can be interpreted alongside changes in genes, hormones, neural activity, drugs, or disease to connect social phenotypes with biological mechanisms.