Table 1.
Mouse behavioral phenotypes related to neuropsychiatric disorders.
| Mouse behavioral test | Ethological correlate | Disease associations |
|---|---|---|
| Elevated plus/0 maze | Decreased time in open arms of a maze with open and enclosed arms models state anxiety (58) | BPD, GAD, OCD, panic disorder, phobias, PTSD (59) |
| Forced swim/tail suspension test | Increased immobility possibly related to behavioral despair or coping with stress (55) | Related to antidepressant activity, depression (39) |
| Latent inhibition | The effectiveness of conditioning in mice previously exposed vs. not exposed to a stimulus. Related to the ability to ignore irrelevant stimuli during learning (60) | SCZ (61) |
| Morris water maze (MWM) | Latency to find a hidden platform in a pool of murky water and memory for platform position tests spatial learning and memory (62) | AD, OCD, SCZ (63–65) |
| MWM reversal learning | Ability to learn a new position when the platform is moved from its previous position tests cognitive flexibility (66) | ADHD, ASD, Huntington’s, OCD, SCZ (67–69) |
| Novel object recognition test | Preference for exploring new vs. familiar objects tests recognition memory, episodic memory, and visual attention (70, 71) | ADHD, ASD, learning disability, PTSD, SCZ (72–74) |
| Open field test | Tests exploration and motor activity (75) | Altered motor activity linked to ADHD, BPD, depression, SCZ (53, 76) |
| Willingness to enter the center of the field measures anxiety (75) | BPD, GAD, OCD, panic disorder, phobias, PTSD (59) | |
| Pre-pulse inhibition | Magnitude of the startle response to a loud noise in the presence and absence of a preceding noise, tests sensorimotor gating (74) | ASD, Huntington’s, OCT, SCZ, Tourette’s (77) |
| Psychostimulant-induced locomotor activity | Excess hyperactivity after injection with a psychostimulant tests sensitivity. Connected to the functioning of brain reward circuits (78) | Drug addiction, psychostimulant-induced mania, SCZ (39, 79, 80) |
| Set-shifting test | Ability to switch between different cues to locate a food reward tests cognitive flexibility (54) | ADHD, ASD, Huntington’s, OCD, SCZ (68, 69) |
| Sucrose preference test | Mouse preference for sugar vs. normal water tests anhedonia (81) | Alcohol dependence, depression, hysteria (82, 83) |
| T-maze/Y-maze | Alternation of entry onto the arms of the maze during reward retrieval (T-maze)/exploration (Y-maze) tests working memory (84, 85) | SCZ (68) |
| Three-chamber social interaction test | Time spent with mouse vs. object tests social motivation, time spent with familiar vs. new mouse tests social memory (86) | ASD, BPD, depression, SCZ (87–91) |
AD, Alzheimer’s disease; ASD, autism spectrum disorder; ADHD, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder; BPD, bipolar disorder; GAD, generalized anxiety disorder; OCD, obsessive–compulsive disorder; PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder.