Table 1.
Observed Behavioral Criteria Used To Generate the Whisker Nuisance Score
| P1 | P2 | P3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freezing | |||
| Walking around, exhibits curious behavior | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Slow or stationary, limited curiosity, cautious | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Freezing, defensive, and fearful | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Stance and body position | |||
| Relaxed, looking skyward, forepaws under body | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cowering, guarded, grounded forepaws | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Breathing | |||
| Normal range | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forced, gasping | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Whisker position | |||
| Fully protracted (both sides) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Protraction and retraction | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fully retracted (both sides) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Whisking response | |||
| Standard whisking, normal movement | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tremors, twitching | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| None, stopped | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Evading stimulation | |||
| No evasive behavior | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Escape behavior or directed movement to avoid/protect whiskers | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Response to stick presentation | |||
| Ambivalence or curiosity about stick | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avoiding and anxiety or biting and attacking or freezing | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Grooming | |||
| No, minimal, or normal grooming | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Irritated scratching/rubbing/pulling | 2 | 2 | 2 |
P1, P2, P3 refer to periods 1–3, each lasting 5 min. Normal behavioral responses to whisker stimulation are assigned a value of zero; abnormal responses were assigned a value of 2. A separate whisker nuisance score is obtained for each period and averaged for a single animal. The maximum score is 16.