Table 1.
Behavioral parameters recorded during the 20-min trial of the MCSF test in post-weaning MS15, MS360, and AFR dams (n = 6/group).
| Functional categories | Parameters | MS15 | AFR | MS360 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General activity | TOTACT | 94.5 ± 9.7 | 103.0 ± 2.9 | 97.3 ± 7.5 |
| FRQ TOTCORR | 29.5 ± 2.8 | 33.2 ± 1.0 | 33.2 ± 2.5 | |
| FRQ CENTER | 21.2 ± 4.2 | 20.5 ± 1.5 | 19.8 ± 1.7 | |
| DUR CENTER | 224.4 ± 29.7 | 174.8 ± 10.0 | 182.0 ± 8.4 | |
| DUR/FRQ CENTER | 12.1 ± 1.6 | 8.7 ± 0.6 | 9.5 ± 0.9 | |
| Exploratory activity | LAT LEAVE CENTER | 17.9 ± 7.2 | 15.5 ± 3.9 | 30.2 ± 10.6 |
| DUR TOTCORR | 438.4 ± 22.3 | 383.3 ± 12.5 | 453.7 ± 53.2 | |
| DUR/FRQ TOTCORR | 15.8 ± 2.3 | 11.6 ± 0.5 | 14.1 ± 2.0 | |
| FRQ HURDLE | 8.2 ± 0.9 | 7.5 ± 0.4 | 8.0 ± 0.8 | |
| DUR HURDLE | 134.2 ± 19.8 | 138.6 ± 5.5 | 105.1 ± 11.0 | |
| DUR/FRQ HURDLE | 16.6 ± 1.7 | 18.7 ± 1.2 | 13.7 ± 1.9 | |
| HEAD DIPS HURDLE | 2.8 ± 1.2 | 5.3 ± 0.8 | 4.3 ± 1.9 | |
| REARING | 70.8 ± 6.4 | 75.5 ± 2.3 | 74.3 ± 6.6 | |
| Risk assessment | LAT SLOPE | 120.3 ± 29.3 | 73.5 ± 32.0 | 134.1 ± 35.5 |
| FRQ SLOPE | 8.5 ± 0.7** | 11.2 ± 0.2 | 9.3 ± 0.8 | |
| DUR SLOPE | 52.9 ± 5.5** | 91.8 ± 9.0 | 78.4 ± 12.0 | |
| DUR/FRQ SLOPE | 6.3 ± 0.6 | 8.2 ± 0.7 | 8.3 ± 0.9 | |
| LAT BRIDGE ENTRANCE | 134.9 ± 29.5 | 100.6 ± 28.4 | 156.9 ± 32.6 | |
| FRQ BRIDGE ENTRANCE | 8.7 ± 0.7** | 11.5 ± 0.22 | 8.7 ± 1.1 | |
| DUR BRIDGE ENTRANCE | 38.8 ± 6.0 | 65.2 ± 7.5 | 61.6 ± 8.7 | |
| DUR/FRQ BRIDGE ENTRANCE | 4.5 ± 0.6# | 5.7 ± 0.7 | 7.1 ± 0.5 | |
| SAP TO CENTER | 1.2 ± 1.0 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | |
| Risk taking | LAT BRIDGE | 136.9 ± 29.5 | 102.4 ± 28.5 | 160.1 ± 33.0 |
| FRQ BRIDGE | 4.5 ± 0.4 | 5.7 ± 0.2 | 4.5 ± 0.7 | |
| DUR BRIDGE | 129.8 ± 9.8 | 148.1 ± 15.5 | 113.8 ± 19.9 | |
| DUR/FRQ BRIDGE | 29.4 ± 1.9 | 26.0 ± 2.3 | 25.1 ± 2.3 | |
| LAT CENTRAL CIRCLE | 397.6 ± 157.7 | 408.6 ± 144.8 | 218.7 ± 46.0 | |
| FRQ CENTRAL CIRCLE | 8.0 ± 2.0 | 6.8 ± 1.2 | 6.2 ± 1.1 | |
| DUR CENTRAL CIRCLE | 15.8 ± 4.6 | 9.3 ± 1.1 | 9.8 ± 2.8 | |
| DUR/FRQ CENTRAL CIRCLE | 1.8 ± 0.2 | 1.5 ± 0.2 | 1.5 ± 0.2 | |
| Shelter seeking | LAT DCR | 185.7 ± 51.4 | 189.4 ± 39.8 | 174.7 ± 55.9 |
| FRQ DCR | 6.0 ± 0.4 | 6.7 ± 0.4 | 7.7 ± 0.6 | |
| DUR DCR | 137.5 ± 21.8 | 157.3 ± 10.5 | 164.5 ± 16.1 | |
| DUR/FRQ DCR | 22.6 ± 2.6 | 23.9 ± 1.7 | 22.0 ± 2.4 | |
| Other | GROOMING | 0.8 ± 0.5 | 0.5 ± 0.2 | 0.5 ± 0.2 |
| URINE | 0.5 ± 0.2 | 0.3 ± 0.2 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | |
| BOLI | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.5 ± 0.3 |
Values represent mean ± SEM. **p < 0.01 compared to AFR rats; #p < 0.05 compared to MS360 rats (Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U-test).
CTRCI, central circle; DCR, dark corner room; DUR, duration (s); DUR/FRQ, duration per visit (s); FRQ, frequency; LAT, latency (s); SAP, stretched attend posture; TOTACT, total activity, i.e., the sum of all frequencies; TOTCORR; total corridor, i.e., the sum of all CORRIDORs. The functional interpretation has been adapted from previous studies (Augustsson, 2004; Meyerson et al., 2006; Roman and Colombo, 2009).