Meeting location: SCA 007 (animal care facility) at 3:00 - bring your lab coat!

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Social behavior and pain sensation thresholds in mice fed an unhealthy vs. a healthy diet

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Procedure for the Social Response Test
 

This is a well-established paradigm to assess normal vs social deficits in mice. The test mouse is placed in the middle of a 3-compartment box made of plexiglass. Separating each compartment is a plexiglass “wall” with an opening in the center. Another mouse is placed within a see-through cage in the left compartment. An identical but empty cage is placed in the right compartment. The time the test mouse spends in the right and left compartments is recorded. Normal mice will spend more time in the compartment with the other mouse compared to the compartment with the empty cage.

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Procedure for the Pain Sensation Threshold Test

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The Tail Flick Test is a well-established and humane test of pain sensation threshold. The mouse is placed in a plexiglass tube to restrain it. A focused beam of light is shone onto its tail. The moment the mouse feels any pain, it "flicks" its tail. The light shuts off immediately and the time it took to flick its tail is recorded. A second cut-off is enforced to prevent tissue damage should the mouse fail to move its tail.