An apparatus and method of use for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior

Abstract

The application provides a device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior and a use method, relates to the technical field of animal behavior detection, and solves the technical problems of a small space of a behavior test device, inconvenient movement of a mouse, a long period, and the like in the prior art, which are not conducive to movement of the mouse after wearing a fiber and other facilities on the head; the technical scheme is that: a main test box body is provided, a larger test space is provided for the mouse, and an animal placing enclosure and a blank placing enclosure are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides; the application can quickly obtain behavior comparison of the mouse in different environments, the required period is shorter, the behavior of the mouse can be observed and recorded from the top of the device as a whole, and image tracking and fiber recording are facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of animal behavior detection technology, specifically to a device and method for detecting prosocial behavior in the social behavior of mice. Background Technology

[0002] Prosocial behavior is a type of social behavior, which is an individual’s behavior that benefits others or society. It is one of the most complex behaviors that social animals (including humans) can exhibit. An important form of prosocial behavior is helping behavior, which is manifested by taking targeted actions to help others achieve specific goals.

[0003] Social behavior testing paradigms are widely used in animal behavior testing. The classic paradigm is the Three Chamber Social Test. The testing device is generally divided into three areas (left, center, and right). Animals can be placed in metal cages on the left and right sides. The test animals can freely explore the three areas. In the experiment, the time that a mouse spends near the metal cage containing a familiar mouse is compared with the time that a mouse spends near the metal cage containing an unfamiliar mouse to determine the animal's social ability. This test measures "sociality" and "social novelty," but it cannot test whether an animal can perceive the state and needs of other individuals, or how an individual can provide targeted help to other individuals in response to their specific needs and goals.

[0004] Existing technologies often use ferrule openings to test and study prosocial behavior patterns among mice. However, in this behavioral testing device, mice need to be trained in a small 50ml transparent tube space, which makes it difficult for the mice to move and takes a long time. At the same time, the narrow transparent tube is not conducive to the movement of mice after they are wearing optical fibers or other devices on their heads. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, this invention solves the technical problems of existing behavioral testing devices being small in space, inconvenient for mouse movement, and having a long cycle, while also being unfavorable for movement after mice are equipped with optical fibers and other facilities on their heads; the device and method of using this invention to detect prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior have a short training cycle and are easy to track images and record with optical fibers; in addition, it can also provide a new behavioral detection method for studying behavioral experiments of animal models of social disorder.

[0006] This invention provides a device for detecting prosocial behavior in the social behavior of mice, comprising:

[0007] The base plate has a main test chamber, which contains an animal enclosure and a blank enclosure. The bottoms of the animal enclosure and the blank enclosure are open, and their length and width can be set to 10 cm. A first water tank and a second water tank are respectively embedded in the base plate below the animal enclosure and the blank enclosure. A first suspended door and a second suspended door are respectively provided on the animal enclosure and the blank enclosure. A partition is provided in the middle of the inner side of the front panel of the main test chamber. The width of the partition can be set to 10 cm.

[0008] Preferably, a first infrared sensor and a second infrared sensor are respectively installed on the main test box panel facing the first and second suspended doors; the first and second suspended doors can be equipped with existing electric switches that control their automatic opening and closing, and the signal output terminals of the first and second infrared sensors can be connected to the signal receiving terminals of the electric control switches on the first and second suspended doors, respectively.

[0009] Preferably, the height of the animal enclosure, the blank enclosure, and the partition are all equal to the height of the main test box.

[0010] Preferably, the height of the first and second water tank boxes is equal to the height of the base plate.

[0011] Preferably, both the animal enclosure and the empty enclosure have round holes on their front and back sides from top to bottom to facilitate the flow of odors.

[0012] Preferably, the circular holes are arranged in ten rows, with a diameter of 0.5 cm and a spacing of 0.5 cm between each hole.

[0013] Preferably, the animal enclosure and the empty enclosure are connected to the interior of the first water tank and the second water tank, respectively.

[0014] Preferably, the animal enclosure and the empty enclosure are made of plexiglass.

[0015] Preferably, a camera is installed on top of the main test box; the camera signal output terminal is connected to the computer host signal input terminal, thereby recording the animal's behavior video in real time.

[0016] The present invention also provides a method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior as described above, comprising the following steps:

[0017] S1: Place the mouse in the device and place it in the same position in the device each time. The mouse explores freely in the device until it touches the first infrared sensor or the second infrared sensor with its nose and triggers the opening of the first or second suspension door. Perform continuous training and record the time from when the mouse is placed in the device to when the suspension door is triggered each time.

[0018] S2: Add the same amount of water to the first and second water tanks. Place a mouse that was raised in the same cage as the mouse trained in S1 into one of the water tanks. Then place the trained mouse in the same initial position as in the S1 training process until the mouse touches the water tank containing the mouse with its nose and triggers the corresponding infrared sensor to open the corresponding hanging door. Record the duration from when the mouse is placed in the initial position to when the door opens.

[0019] The present invention has the following advantages over the prior art:

[0020] 1. The device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior provided by the present invention provides a larger testing space for mice through the main test chamber, allowing the mice to move more freely and the measured activity data to be more accurate. By using animal placement enclosures and blank placement enclosures set symmetrically on the left and right sides, the behavior of mice in different environments can be quickly compared, and the required cycle is shorter. At the same time, the behavior of mice can be observed and recorded from the top of the device, which is convenient for image tracking and fiber optic recording.

[0021] 2. The method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior provided by the present invention shows that, through experiments, the latency of the tested mouse touching the infrared sensor on the side with the companion mouse increases first, then decreases and tends to stabilize as the number of training sessions increases; the influence of the data can be obtained by comparing the data. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a graph showing experimental data from step S1 of the method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is an experimental data graph showing step S2 of the method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in the social behavior of mice according to the present invention.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0027] 1. Main test box; 2. Animal enclosure; 3. Blank enclosure; 4. First suspended door; 5. Second suspended door; 6. First water tank; 7. Second water tank; 8. Partition; 9. First infrared sensor; 10. Second infrared sensor; 11. Base plate; 12. Camera. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solution of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior provided in this embodiment, including:

[0032] A base plate 11 is provided, on which a main test box 1 is provided. Inside the main test box 1, an animal placement enclosure 2 and a blank placement enclosure 3 are provided. The bottom of the animal placement enclosure 2 and the blank placement enclosure 3 are hollowed out, and a first water tank box 6 and a second water tank box 7 are respectively provided below them and embedded in the base plate 11. A first hanging door 4 and a second hanging door 5 are respectively provided on the animal placement enclosure 2 and the blank placement enclosure 3. A partition 8 is provided in the middle of the inner side of the front panel of the main test box 1. A first infrared sensor 9 and a second infrared sensor 10 are respectively provided on the main test box 1 panel opposite the first hanging door 4 and the second hanging door 5.

[0033] The main test chamber 1 provides a larger testing space for mice, allowing them greater freedom of movement and resulting in more accurate activity data. The symmetrically arranged animal placement enclosures 2 and blank placement enclosures 3 on the left and right sides enable rapid comparisons of mouse behavior under different environments, requiring a shorter timeframe. Simultaneously, mouse behavior can be observed and recorded from above the entire device, facilitating image tracking and fiber optic recording. Therefore, after initial application to mouse behavior detection, this type of testing device can provide a new behavioral testing method for studying behavioral experiments on animal models of social disorders; that is, the test data can be applied to autism treatment.

[0034] In this embodiment, the height of the animal placement enclosure 2, the blank placement enclosure 3, and the partition 8 are all equal to the height of the main test box 1. The front and rear sides of the animal placement enclosure 2 and the blank placement enclosure 3 are provided with round holes from top to bottom. The round holes can keep the odors in the animal placement enclosure 2 and the blank placement enclosure 3 circulating, allowing the experimental mice to perceive the odors of the animal placement enclosure 2 and the blank placement enclosure 3.

[0035] In this embodiment, the circular holes are arranged in ten rows, with a diameter of 0.5 cm and a spacing of 0.5 cm between each hole. In the specific experimental process, the above-mentioned arrangement of the circular holes can ensure the experimental effect to the greatest extent.

[0036] In this embodiment, the animal enclosure 2 and the blank enclosure 3 are respectively connected to the interior of the first water tank 6 and the second water tank 7; the animal enclosure 2 and the blank enclosure 3 are made of plexiglass; the above arrangement ensures the strength of the experimental device while facilitating observation.

[0037] In this embodiment, a camera 12 is installed above the main test box 1. The signal output terminal of the camera 12 is connected to the signal input terminal of the computer host, thereby recording the animal's behavior video in real time.

[0038] Example 2

[0039] This embodiment provides a method for using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior as described above, including the following steps:

[0040] S1: Place the mouse in the device and place it in the same position in the device each time. The mouse explores freely in the device until it touches the first infrared sensor 9 or the second infrared sensor 10 with its nose and triggers the opening of the first suspension door 4 or the second suspension door 5. Perform continuous training for example 7 times and record the time from when the mouse is placed in the device to when the suspension door is triggered to open each time.

[0041] Following step S1, mice were trained twice daily, with a 30-minute interval. Figure 2As shown, within the recorded 5 minutes, the number of times the mouse touched the left first infrared sensor 9 and the right second infrared sensor 10 was similar, both 6 times, with no statistically significant difference.

[0042] S2: Add the same amount of water to the first water tank 6 and the second water tank 7. Select one of the two water tanks and place a mouse that was raised in the same cage as the mouse trained in S1 into it. Then place the trained mouse in the same initial position as in the S1 training process until the mouse touches the water tank containing the mouse with its nose and triggers the corresponding infrared sensor to open the corresponding hanging door. Record the duration from when the mouse is placed in the initial position to when the door opens.

[0043] Following the steps in S2, experiments are conducted twice daily, with a half-hour interval between each session. Figure 3 As shown, the latency of the experimental mice to touch the infrared sensor on the side of the mouse with its companion mouse increased first, then decreased and then tended to stabilize as the number of training sessions increased. Figure 3 The vertical axis represents the latency period, which is the time it takes for the experimental mouse to open the hanging door with its companion mouse. The horizontal axis represents the number of experiments. As the number of experiments increases, the latency period of the experimental mouse first increases and then decreases and tends to stabilize. By comparing the data, we can obtain the basis for the influence on mouse behavior.

[0044] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A method of using a device for detecting prosocial behavior in the social behavior of mice, characterized in that, The device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior includes a base plate (11), on which a main test box (1) is mounted. Inside the main test box (1) are an animal placement enclosure (2) and a blank placement enclosure (3). The bottoms of the animal placement enclosure (2) and the blank placement enclosure (3) are hollowed out, and below them are a first water tank (6) and a second water tank (7) embedded in the base plate (11), respectively. A first hanging door (4) and a second hanging door (5) are respectively mounted on the animal placement enclosure (2) and the blank placement enclosure (3). A partition (8) is located in the middle of the inner side of the front panel of the main test box (1). A first infrared sensor (9) and a second infrared sensor (10) are respectively mounted on the panel of the main test box (1) opposite the first hanging door (4) and the second hanging door (5). The device includes the following steps: S1: Place the mouse in the device and place it in the same position in the device each time. The mouse explores freely in the device until it touches the first infrared sensor (9) or the second infrared sensor (10) with its nose and triggers the opening of the first suspension door (4) or the second suspension door (5). Perform continuous training and record the time from when the mouse is placed in the device to when the suspension door is triggered to open each time. S2: Add the same amount of water to the first water tank (6) and the second water tank (7). Select one of the first water tank (6) and the second water tank (7) and put a mouse that was raised in the same cage as the mouse trained in step S1 into it. Then place the trained mouse in the same initial position as in the training process in step S1 until the mouse touches the water tank containing the mouse with its nose and triggers the corresponding infrared sensor to open the corresponding hanging door. Record the duration from when the mouse is placed in the initial position to when the door opens.

2. The method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heights of the animal enclosure (2), the blank enclosure (3), and the partition (8) are all equal to the height of the main test box (1).

3. The method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the first water tank (6) and the second water tank (7) is equal to the height of the base plate (11).

4. The method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the animal enclosure (2) and the blank enclosure (3) have round holes on their front and back sides from top to bottom.

5. The method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior according to claim 4, characterized in that: The circular holes are arranged in ten rows, with a diameter of 0.5 cm and a spacing of 0.5 cm between each hole.

6. The method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior according to claim 1, characterized in that: The animal enclosure (2) and the blank enclosure (3) are respectively connected to the interior of the first water tank (6) and the second water tank (7).

7. The method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior according to claim 1, characterized in that: The animal enclosure (2) and the blank enclosure (3) are made of plexiglass.

8. The method of using the device for detecting prosocial behavior in mouse social behavior according to claim 1, characterized in that: A camera (12) is installed on top of the main test box (1).

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