A PROPOSED TEST BATTERY AND CONSTELLATIONS OF SPECIFIC BEHAVIORAL PARADIGMS TO INVESTIGATE THE BEHAVIORAL PHENOTYPES OF TRANSGENIC AND KNOCKOUT MICE

Behavioral phenotyping of transgenic and knockout mice requires rigoro us, formal analyses. Well-characterized paradigms can be chosen from t he established behavioral neuroscience literature. This review describ es (1) a series of neurological and neuropsychological tests which are effectively used as a first screen for behavioral abnormalities in mu tant mice, and (2) a series of specific behavioral paradigms, clustere d by category. Included are multiple paradigms for each category, incl uding learning and memory, feeding, analgesia, aggression, anxiety, de pression, schizophrenia, and drug abuse models. Examples are given fro m the experiences of the authors, in applying these experimental desig ns to transgenic and knockout mice. Extensive references for each beha vioral paradigm are provided, to allow new investigators to access the relevant literature on behavioral methodology.