Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors
February 25th, 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.
The overall goal of the following experiment is to study social interaction and memory in mice. This method is unique in that it places the control mouse under a wire cup, allowing the experimental animal to freely initiate or terminate interactions while preventing direct contact after habituating to a central chamber. The experimental mouse is allowed to freely explore two other chambers, one with an empty cup and another containing an unfamiliar mouse.
The next step allows the mouse a free choice between an already familiar animal and a newly introduced second mouse. Ultimately, results can be obtained that demonstrate differences in natural sociability and preference for social novelty in experimental versus control mice. The main advantage of this technique over existing methods such as one chamber social interaction test or resident intruder test, is that any direct physical contact between mice during this procedure is prohibited, allowing the experimental animal the freedom to terminate or initiate social interactions.
Crawley's sociability and preference for social novelty test is conducted in a rectangular three chamber box. Each chamber measures 19 by 45 centimeters and the dividing walls are made from clear plexiglass. The middle section opens to allow free access to each chamber.
The wire cups needed for this procedure should be large enough to hold a single mouse and have openings that allow ample air exchange, but prevent direct physical interaction. Place one cup into each side of the chamber behavior during the test is recorded. Using the Observer 6.0 program, all chambers are cleaned with 70%ethanol between mice and then with kaly, one to five to one between the cages to prevent olfactory Q bias and to ensure proper disinfection respectively begin by habituating the experimental animals to the test environment for 30 minutes.
With both cups in place and the dividing walls closed, introduce a naive mouse to the central chamber and allow five minutes for acclimation. Place a control mouse stranger one inside a wire containment cup, alternate the placement of the control from the left to the right side of the chamber between trials. After the habituation period, remove the walls between the compartments to allow the subject to freely explore all three chambers immediately begin to monitor and record behavior for 10 minutes.
In this example, the Observer program is used to monitor behaviors in real time using codes for the parameters of interest, record the duration and number of direct or active contacts between the subject mouse and either the empty cup or the cup housing, the stranger one mouse. An active contact is either a direct contact or a stretching of the subject's body in an area three to five centimeters around the cup. Also record the duration and number of other behaviors.
These include walking, self, grooming, lack of any body movements for more than five seconds or freezing, as well as any unusual behavior such as jumping, repetitive behavior, et cetera. The duration and number of entries into each compartment is also recorded. The mouse is considered to be in the chamber when its head and four pores have entered.
To test for social novelty or preference, place a second control mouse stranger two inside the cup in the opposite side of the chamber. Monitor the same parameters as described above for an additional 10 minutes. Clean all chambers with 70%ethanol, and then with kaleido one to five to one and demonstrated previously in addition to manual scoring of the experiments.
The use of a video recording system is strongly advised as this allows offline review of the experimental data in the future by an independent observer or the same person, as well as allowing the inclusion of additional secondary parameters if needed. Typically, a wild type animal will spend significantly more time in the compartment with stranger one compared to the compartment with the empty cup indicating normal sociability social motivation and affiliation in GSK three alpha knockout mice. However, there are no significant differences between the time spent with the empty cup compared to the cup containing stranger one indicating impaired sociability in this animal model.
The second session of the test is designed to estimate social novelty and social memory. Usually a wild type animal recalls its previous contact with stranger one and tends to spend more time with the newly encountered mouse indicating intact social memory and a predilection for novel experiences. Unlike wild type mice, GSK three alpha mutant animals do not show a preference for the chamber containing a newly introduced mouse over a chamber containing a.
Now familiar mouse indifferent behavior of knockout mice in this test is indicative of decreased social motivation and novelty Following this procedure. Other methods like elevated plus Mac light duck box, open field, FST TS T can be performed in order to answer additional questions about like emotion and anxiety and depression, which may affect the results of this test or their overall interpretation.
Overview
This article presents a detailed protocol for examining sociability and social memory in mice using Crawley's sociability and preference for social novelty test. The method allows for the assessment of social interactions without direct contact, providing insights into sociability and social memory differences between experimental and control mice.
Key Study Components
Area of Science
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Biology
- Animal Models
Background
- The study investigates social interaction and memory in mice.
- Crawley's test allows for controlled social interactions without direct contact.
- Understanding sociability can provide insights into various behavioral phenotypes.
- Previous methods may not adequately prevent physical interactions.
Purpose of Study
- To evaluate sociability and preference for social novelty in mice.
- To compare behaviors between wild type and genetically modified mice.
- To establish a reliable method for assessing social behaviors in experimental settings.
Methods Used
- Three-chamber test setup with wire cups for control mice.
- Behavioral monitoring using Observer 6.0 software.
- Recording of active contacts and various behaviors during the test.
- Cleaning protocols to prevent olfactory bias between trials.
Main Results
- Wild type mice show a preference for interacting with unfamiliar mice.
- GSK3 alpha knockout mice display impaired sociability.
- Differences in social memory are observed between wild type and mutant mice.
- Behavioral data supports the validity of the sociability test.
Conclusions
- The protocol effectively differentiates sociability levels in mice.
- Results indicate potential genetic influences on social behavior.
- This method can be applied to further investigate social motivation and memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Executive Industry Relevance
Assessing social interaction behaviors in rodent models provides critical insights into neuropsychiatric disease mechanisms, supporting target validation for disorders with social dysfunction phenotypes. This method enables mechanistic de-risking by quantifying sociability and social novelty preference, key translational biomarkers in preclinical screening. The approach enhances predictive confidence in early discovery by linking genetic or pharmacological manipulations to clinically relevant social behavioral outputs.
Strategic Applications in Biopharma R&D
Early Discovery & Target Validation
- Scientific Value: Interrogates therapeutic hypotheses related to social motivation and memory pathways in neuropsychiatric disease models.
- Operational Value: Enables biological de-risking of targets influencing sociability through standardized behavioral phenotyping.
- Scientific Value: Supports predictive confidence by differentiating genotypes based on social affiliation and novelty preference metrics.
Screening & Assay Development
- Scientific Value: Prepares validated behavioral assays for downstream compound screening in CNS drug discovery programs.
- Operational Value: Ensures assay standardization and reproducibility through controlled chamber design and wire cup containment.
- Scientific Value: Generates quantitative dependent variable measurements (time in chamber, active contacts) enabling reliable compound evaluation.
Translational & Preclinical Research
- Scientific Value: Aligns with disease-relevant systems by modeling social behavior disruptions seen in autism, schizophrenia, and depression.
- Operational Value: Facilitates translational continuity from discovery through preclinical validation using consistent behavioral endpoints.
- Scientific Value: Supports risk-adjusted advancement decisions by identifying mechanistically de-risked candidates with normalized social phenotypes.
Pipeline & Workflow Integration
The method integrates into the discovery continuum from target hypothesis testing through lead identification to preclinical validation, providing behavioral readouts that inform go/no-go decisions.
- Discovery Biology: Supports hypothesis testing of genes or compounds affecting social motivation and memory networks.
- Screening: Delivers assay readiness and quantitative outputs for evaluating therapeutic effects on social behavior.
- Analytics: Enables statistical comparison of sociability and social novelty metrics across experimental groups.
- Translational Research: Connects to preclinical continuity by modeling core symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Enterprise Reuse: Functions as a reusable behavioral platform across multiple target validation and screening campaigns.
Operational & Enterprise Impact
- Scientific Value: Provides predictive confidence in target validation through measurable social interaction phenotypes.
- Operational Value: Ensures standardization and reproducibility via controlled environmental conditions and blinded behavioral scoring.
- Strategic Value: Improves go/no-go decisions by reducing late-stage failure risk from unidentified social behavior liabilities.
- Portfolio Impact: Enables risk-adjusted prioritization of compounds based on rescue of social deficits in disease models.
Implementation Considerations
- Requires expertise in rodent behavioral neuroscience and video-based tracking systems.
- Dependent on specialized three-chamber apparatus and wire cup containment units.
- Necessitates cross-team standardization of cleaning protocols to prevent olfactory bias.
- Involves adaptation considerations across mouse strains and genetic backgrounds.
- Limited by the need for habituation periods and controlled testing environments to ensure data reliability.
