Figure 2. Mice lacking TRPC5 display an anxiolytic-like phenotype.

(A) The acoustic startle response to auditory stimuli at 95, 100 and 105dB in control (n=10; white) and null (n=9; red) mice. ANOVA, F(1,17)=2.9, P=0.1. (B) Activity levels in control and null mice sampled immediately preceding the onset of the startle stimuli for the experiments shown in (A). (C) Locomotor activity of TRPC5^−/− and wt mice were indistinguishable (8 mice per group; P=0.7). (D) Conditioned ‘freezing’ following single-trial fear conditioning in control mice (n=10) and TRPC5^−/− mice (n=10) at 30min (ANOVA, P=0.054) and 24h (ANOVA, F(1,18) = 0.02, P=0.9) post-training. (E) Elevated plus-maze experiments: TRPC5^−/− mice entered the open arm of the maze more commonly (10 mice per group; open arms: t₍₁₈₎=2.75, P<0.05; closed arms t₍₁₈₎=1.44, P=0.17, not shown). (F–H) In open field experiments, TRPC5^−/− mice spent more time in the center of the arena [F(1,14)=5.16, P=0.04] (F) and (G) entered it more frequently [F(1,14)=5.6, P=0.03]; ≤5 min versus >5 min [F(1,14)=7.0, P=0.02]. Total path length did not differ between groups (H) Total path lengths; [F(1,14)=2.7, P=0.1]; 8 mice per group). (I, J) Social interaction test; (I) Duration of time spent by mice of both genotypes in each of the 3 areas of the testing apparatus during the preference for social novelty phase (7 mice per group). Mutant mice spent more time with the novel mouse (t test, t=2.2, P=0.04); (J) Average difference between the number of nose contacts with the novel and familiar mouse. Error bars indicate SEM.