Refinement of inbred mouse strains as animal models for psychiatric disorders

In the recent years inbred mouse strains turned out to be a prime organism of choice for modelling human diseases. The variety of available genotypes but also phenotypes discloses an interesting resource to search for an reliable animal model of psychiatric disorders. The phenotype of mice can be characterised by established behavioural test procedures monitoring different behavioural dimensions, such as anxiety, locomotor activity, and exploration behaviour.

Using a multidimensional approach by means of the modified hole board, we behaviourally phenotype different inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6J, DBA/2, BALB/c, 129p2, CD-1). A direct comparison with data obtained from selective behavioural tests in the same strains will enable us to assess the reliability of the behavioural phenotype of these strains and, thus, of their potential use as animal models for psychiatric disorders.