Fig. S3.
Analysis of nonsniffing stimulus-related behaviors in mice during learning paradigms. For graphical simplicity, relevant recorded behaviors have been summed into a nonsniffing stimulus-related activity measure. Analyses on individual behaviors and data interpretation do not differ from the summaries reported here. Nonsniffing stimulus-related behavior includes biting objects, sitting/climbing on stimulus, digging and burying stimuli. For brevity, we note behaviors that differ between vehicle and treatment groups demonstrating learning effects. (No treatment dose consistently produced effects on any behavior recorded.) Mice given 50 nM of 17β-estradiol had significantly lower nonsniffing-related activity during habituation 2 compared with vehicle during object placement task (F6, 74 = 3.10, P < 0.01, post hoc q = 5.33, df = 18, P < 0.01). These observations cannot account for the enhanced learning observed in these groups via increased arousal or interest in objects, for example. Mice receiving 50 nM 17β-estradiol displayed significantly higher nonsniffing stimulus-related activity during habituation 1 of the object recognition task. (Two-way repeated measures ANOVA failed the test for equal variance; therefore, a one-way ANOVA was used to analyze differences between treatment at each test. F3, 41 = 3.31, P < 0.05, post hoc q = 3.36, df = 20, P < 0.05). This may be interpreted as an enhanced interest in objects. However, this was not repeated in the object placement experiments, and is not replicated in subsequent experiments on object recognition. Therefore, the differences here are likely caused by random variations in behavior, and not a result of treatment effects on behavior. *P < 0.05.