Distinct dynamics of social motivation drive differential social behavior in laboratory rat and mouse strains

Shai Netser; Ana Meyer; Hen Magalnik; Asaph Zylbertal; Shani Haskal de la Zerda; Mayan Briller; Alexander Bizer; Valery Grinevich; Shlomo Wagner

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19569-0

Distinct dynamics of social motivation drive differential social behavior in laboratory rat and mouse strains

Shai Netser, Ana Meyer, Hen Magalnik, Asaph Zylbertal, Shani Haskal de la Zerda, Mayan Briller, Alexander Bizer, Valery Grinevich, Shlomo Wagner

Department of Neurobiology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Mice and rats are widely used to explore mechanisms of mammalian social behavior in health and disease, raising the question whether they actually differ in their social behavior. Here we address this question by directly comparing social investigation behavior between two mouse and rat strains used most frequently for behavioral studies and as models of neuropathological conditions: C57BL/6 J mice and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Employing novel experimental systems for behavioral analysis of both subjects and stimuli during the social preference test, we reveal marked differences in behavioral dynamics between the strains, suggesting stronger and faster induction of social motivation in SD rats. These different behavioral patterns, which correlate with distinctive c-Fos expression in social motivation-related brain areas, are modified by competition with non-social rewarding stimuli, in a strain-specific manner. Thus, these two strains differ in their social behavior, which should be taken into consideration when selecting an appropriate model organism.

Original language	English
Article number	5908
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	11
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19569-0
State	Published - Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP grant RGP0019/ 2015 to V.G. and S.W.), the German Research Foundation (DFG) grants GR 3619/16-1 (to V.G. and S.W.), 3619/7-1, GR 3619/8-1, GR 3619/13-1, GR 3619/15-1, and DFG within the Collaborative research Center SFB 1158-2, Fritz Thyssen foundation Ref. 10.19.1.015MN to V.G., the Israel Science Foundation (ISF grants #1350/12, 1361/17), the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space of Israel (Grant #3-12068), a joint grant of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space of Israel and the Ministries of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) of France (Grant #3-16545), and a donation of the Milgrom Family to S.W. The authors thank Thomas Splettstoesser (www.scistyle.com) for his help with the preparation of figures.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, The Author(s).

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemistry (all)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (all)
Physics and Astronomy (all)

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10.1038/s41467-020-19569-0

Cite this

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title = "Distinct dynamics of social motivation drive differential social behavior in laboratory rat and mouse strains",

abstract = "Mice and rats are widely used to explore mechanisms of mammalian social behavior in health and disease, raising the question whether they actually differ in their social behavior. Here we address this question by directly comparing social investigation behavior between two mouse and rat strains used most frequently for behavioral studies and as models of neuropathological conditions: C57BL/6 J mice and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Employing novel experimental systems for behavioral analysis of both subjects and stimuli during the social preference test, we reveal marked differences in behavioral dynamics between the strains, suggesting stronger and faster induction of social motivation in SD rats. These different behavioral patterns, which correlate with distinctive c-Fos expression in social motivation-related brain areas, are modified by competition with non-social rewarding stimuli, in a strain-specific manner. Thus, these two strains differ in their social behavior, which should be taken into consideration when selecting an appropriate model organism.",

author = "Shai Netser and Ana Meyer and Hen Magalnik and Asaph Zylbertal and {de la Zerda}, {Shani Haskal} and Mayan Briller and Alexander Bizer and Valery Grinevich and Shlomo Wagner",

note = "Funding Information: This study was supported by the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP grant RGP0019/ 2015 to V.G. and S.W.), the German Research Foundation (DFG) grants GR 3619/16-1 (to V.G. and S.W.), 3619/7-1, GR 3619/8-1, GR 3619/13-1, GR 3619/15-1, and DFG within the Collaborative research Center SFB 1158-2, Fritz Thyssen foundation Ref. 10.19.1.015MN to V.G., the Israel Science Foundation (ISF grants #1350/12, 1361/17), the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space of Israel (Grant #3-12068), a joint grant of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space of Israel and the Ministries of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) of France (Grant #3-16545), and a donation of the Milgrom Family to S.W. The authors thank Thomas Splettstoesser (www.scistyle.com) for his help with the preparation of figures. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020, The Author(s).",

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AU - Grinevich, Valery

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N2 - Mice and rats are widely used to explore mechanisms of mammalian social behavior in health and disease, raising the question whether they actually differ in their social behavior. Here we address this question by directly comparing social investigation behavior between two mouse and rat strains used most frequently for behavioral studies and as models of neuropathological conditions: C57BL/6 J mice and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Employing novel experimental systems for behavioral analysis of both subjects and stimuli during the social preference test, we reveal marked differences in behavioral dynamics between the strains, suggesting stronger and faster induction of social motivation in SD rats. These different behavioral patterns, which correlate with distinctive c-Fos expression in social motivation-related brain areas, are modified by competition with non-social rewarding stimuli, in a strain-specific manner. Thus, these two strains differ in their social behavior, which should be taken into consideration when selecting an appropriate model organism.

AB - Mice and rats are widely used to explore mechanisms of mammalian social behavior in health and disease, raising the question whether they actually differ in their social behavior. Here we address this question by directly comparing social investigation behavior between two mouse and rat strains used most frequently for behavioral studies and as models of neuropathological conditions: C57BL/6 J mice and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Employing novel experimental systems for behavioral analysis of both subjects and stimuli during the social preference test, we reveal marked differences in behavioral dynamics between the strains, suggesting stronger and faster induction of social motivation in SD rats. These different behavioral patterns, which correlate with distinctive c-Fos expression in social motivation-related brain areas, are modified by competition with non-social rewarding stimuli, in a strain-specific manner. Thus, these two strains differ in their social behavior, which should be taken into consideration when selecting an appropriate model organism.

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Distinct dynamics of social motivation drive differential social behavior in laboratory rat and mouse strains

Abstract

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