Distinct dynamics of social motivation drive differential social behavior in laboratory rat and mouse strains

Shai Netser, Ana Meyer, Hen Magalnik, Asaph Zylbertal, Shani Haskal Zerda, Mayan Briller, Alexander Bizer, Valery Grinevich and Shlomo Wagner ()
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Shai Netser: University of Haifa
Ana Meyer: University of Heidelberg
Hen Magalnik: University of Haifa
Asaph Zylbertal: University College London
Shani Haskal Zerda: University of Haifa
Mayan Briller: University of Haifa
Alexander Bizer: University of Haifa
Valery Grinevich: University of Heidelberg
Shlomo Wagner: University of Haifa

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Abstract Mice and rats are widely used to explore mechanisms of mammalian social behavior in health and disease, raising the question whether they actually differ in their social behavior. Here we address this question by directly comparing social investigation behavior between two mouse and rat strains used most frequently for behavioral studies and as models of neuropathological conditions: C57BL/6 J mice and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Employing novel experimental systems for behavioral analysis of both subjects and stimuli during the social preference test, we reveal marked differences in behavioral dynamics between the strains, suggesting stronger and faster induction of social motivation in SD rats. These different behavioral patterns, which correlate with distinctive c-Fos expression in social motivation-related brain areas, are modified by competition with non-social rewarding stimuli, in a strain-specific manner. Thus, these two strains differ in their social behavior, which should be taken into consideration when selecting an appropriate model organism.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19569-0

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