Sensory and motor development in mice: genes, environment and their interactions

Sensory and motor developmental tests were designed to characterize spontan eous mutations in rodents. These tests are currently used to investigate de velopmental abnormalities associated with gene overexpression or gene targe ting in mice. Here, we present an overview of our studies focused on 15 tes ts designed to measure sensory and motor development from birth to weaning in mice. Psychometric characteristics and factorial structure of these meas ures are considered first. The genetic correlates of these measures obtaine d with neurological mutants and gene mapping are compared. As a general rul e, the contribution of genotype to the phenotypic variance of sensory and m otor measures of development is low, inviting exploration of other sources of variation. Results from ovary transplantation. embryo transfer and foste ring methods indicate that different components of maternal environment (cy toplasmic, uterine or postnatal) contribute to the behavioral phenotype. Al though more difficult to detect, interactions between genotype and environm ent are involved. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.