Behavioral and genetic interrelationships between locomotor activity and brain biogenic amines

Exploring test batteries for depression- and anxiety-like behaviours in female and male ICR and black Swiss mice

Objective and rationale: Animal models are critical for the study of mental disorders and their treatments but are repeatedly criticized for problems with validity and reproducibility. One approach to enhance validity and reproducibility of models is to use test batteries rather than single tests. Yet, a question regarding batteries is whether one can expect a consistent individual behavioural phenotype in mice across tests that can be presumed to be part of the same construct. This study was designed to explore the relationship between the behaviours of mice across tests in some variations of test batteries for depression- and anxiety-like behaviours. Methods: Female and male healthy, intact, and untreated mice from the ICR and black Swiss strains were used in four separate experiments. With some variations, mice were exposed to a battery of behavioural tests representing affective- and anxiety-like behaviours. Data were analysed for differences between sexes and for correlations between behaviours within and across the tests in the battery. Results: No differences were found between the sexes. With very few exceptions, we found correlations within tests (when one test has more than one measure or is repeated) but not across different tests within the battery. Conclusions: The results cast some doubt on the utility of behavioural test batteries to represent different facets of emotional behaviour in healthy intact outbred mice, without any interventions or treatments. Additional studies are designed to explore whether stronger relationship between the tests will appear after manipulations or drug treatments.

Strain-specific differences in the expression and activity of Ogg1 in the CNS

The expression and activity of 8-oxoguanosine DNA-glycosylase (Ogg1), a key enzyme responsible forthe clearance of the oxidized DNA base 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (oxo8dG), was determined in the cerebellum (CB) and the caudate and the putamen (CP) of male Balb/c, ICR, and C57BL/J mice. There was no significant difference in the protein expression of Ogg1 in the CB or CP. The activity of Ogg1 was not significantly different in the CB; however, in the CP of ICR mice, the activity of Ogg1 was 34% and 31% lower than Balb/c and C57BL/J, respectively. In contrast, the levels of oxo8dG in the CB and CP of C57BL/J mice were nearly twice as high as the values in both regions of Balb/c and ICR mice. The activity of superoxide dismutases (SOD) appeared to account for the differences in the levels of oxo8dG in the C57BL/J strain. Total SOD in the C57BL/J strain was two- and fourfold higher in the CB and CP, respectively, versus the other strains. These results suggest that the enhanced vulnerability of the C57BL/J strain to neurotoxicants may not be due to a decreased capacity for DNA repair, but rather, the significantly higher activity of SODs, which may cause these pathways to become more readily saturated.

Differences in the liability to self-administer intravenous cocaine between C57BL/6 x SJL and BALB/cByJ mice

Application of animal models of psychostimulant abuse for experimentation in mice is becoming increasingly important for studying the contribution of genetic differences, as well as the roles of selected (targeted) genes, in specific behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate strain differences in cocaine self-administration behavior between C57BL/6 x SJL hybrid mice and BALB/cByJ mice. These two strains were chosen because BALB/cByJ mice have a well-developed behavioral pharmacological profile, and hybrid strains on a C57BL/6 background are commonly used for generating transgenic expressing and knockout mutant mice. C57BL/6 x SJL mice dose-dependently acquired cocaine self-administration (1.0 mg/kg/injection but not 0.25 mg/kg/injection) by responding selectively in the active nose-poke hole and maintaining stable levels of daily drug intake; they also exhibited a characteristic inverted-U-shaped cocaine dose-effect function. BALB/cByJ mice failed to acquire cocaine self-administration at either dose under the same test conditions. The strain differences observed in self-administration did not seem to be attributed to other behavioral differences because the two strains exhibited similar amounts of spontaneous nose-poking in the absence of reinforcers, and BALB/cByJ mice responded more than C57BL/6 x SJL mice in a food-reinforced nose-poke operant task. Importantly, the dose-effect function for the motor stimulating effects of cocaine (3.8-30 mg/kg intraperitoneally) suggests enhanced sensitivity but reduced efficacy of cocaine in stimulating motor activity in BALB/cByJ mice relative to the C57BL/6 x SJL hybrid mice. These results indicate that the decreased liability of BALB/cByJ mice to acquire cocaine self-administration is not the result of differences in spontaneous activity or performance, but may reflect different sensitivities to the reinforcing, or rate-disrupting, properties of cocaine. The data support an influence of genetic background in the liability to self-administer cocaine. Thus, a hypothesis is proposed that the decreased liability of BALB/cByJ mice to acquire cocaine self-administration is related to differences in brain monoamine systems linked to the high "emotionality" profile of BALB/c mice in novel or fearful situations, including perhaps cocaine administration.

Neurochemical bases of locomotion and ethanol stimulant effects

The locomotor stimulant effect produced by alcohol (ethanol) is one of a large number of measurable ethanol effects. Ethanol-induced euphoria in humans and locomotor stimulation in rodents, a potential animal model of human euphoria, have long been recognized and the latter has been extensively characterized. Since the euphoria produced by ethanol may influence the development of uncontrolled or excessive alcohol use, a solid understanding of the neurochemical substrates underlying such effects is important. Such an understanding for spontaneous locomotion and for ethanol's stimulant effects is beginning to emerge. Herein we review what is known about three neurochemical substrates of locomotion and of ethanol's locomotor stimulant effects. Several lines of research have implicated dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems in determining these behaviors. A large collection of work is cited, which strongly implicates the above-mentioned neurotransmitter substances in the control of spontaneous locomotion. A smaller, but persuasive, body of evidence suggests that central nervous system processes utilizing these transmitters are involved in determining the effects of ethanol on locomotion. Particular emphasis has been placed on the mesolimbic ventral tegmental area to nucleus accumbens dopaminergic pathway, and on the ventral pallidum/substantia innominata, where GABA and glutamate have been found to play a role in altering the activity of this dopaminergic pathway. Research on ethanol and drug locomotor sensitization, increased responsiveness to the substance with repeated administration, is also reviewed as a process that may be important in the development of drug addiction.

Behavioral genetic analysis of regional mouse brain biogenic amines, acidic metabolites and motor activity

1. Comparative analyses of regional brain biogenic amines and spontaneous locomotor activity of three mouse strains suggest a genotype dependent relationship. 2. A positive correlation between striatal dopamine and locomotor activity was determined in the inbred albino BALB/c mouse strain. 3. An inverse relationship between some brain regions serotonin and motility was found in the inbred black C57BL/6 mouse strain. 4. No correlation could be established between brain monoamines and motor activity in the hybrid CDF-1 mouse strain. 5. The results suggest that inbred BALB/c and C57BL/6 mouse strains may be useful animal models for studying dopaminergic and serotonergic acting agents, respectively.

Differential modulation of mouse brain biogenic amines by haloperidol and pimozide: implications in Tourette's syndrome

1. A comparison between the effect of equal dose regimens of Tourette's medications on mouse motor activity and regional brain monoamines suggests differential responses which may underlie drug-induced side-effects. 2. Haloperidol was more potent than pimozide in altering striatal dopamine concentration which may account for the greater incidence of haloperidol-induced extrapyramidal disorders compared to pimozide. 3. Pimozide, but not the haloperidol treatment, altered brain serotonin concentrations to suggest a decrease in turnover rate which may underlie pimozide-caused sedation in Tourette's syndrome. 4. Pimozide was more potent than haloperidol in duration of behavioral depression which suggests differential dopamine receptor subtypes blockade. 5. Pimozide was more potent than haloperidol in altering 3 of the 6 brain regions content of norepinephrine-derived normetanephrine which may be responsible for the increase in blood pressure reported during pimozide treatment.