This book presents the essentials of behavioral test methodology needed for effective study planning and high quality behavioral data collection on laboratory mice. The broad scope of behavioral testing in relation to the neurosciences is discussed, as are the fine details of various test situations. Mistakes made in past research are scrutinized and lessons are drawn about how to avoid them in future work. Diverse factors that can influence the results of behavioral experiments are discussed, ranging from the specific parameters employed in a test to the laboratory environment outside the test situation itself. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on special issues that arise when testing genetically different mice, including inbred strains and mice with targeted mutations. This knowledge will assist an investigator who lacks formal training in behavioral psychology to build a behavioral testing lab and insure that its output meets current standards of good practice in behavioral neuroscience research.
The book will be a convenient manual of procedures for daily use in studies of mouse behavior. It will be of interest even to experienced behavioural researchers, but of particular value to scientists just beginning work with mice, including undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral investigators who want to collect phenotypic data with knockout and other genetically defined mice. Constructed from materials used in a long running course on Advanced Animal Behavior at University of North Carolina-Greensboro, the book is an ideal text for a course on behavioral testing.