Effects of light or dark phase testing on behavioural and cognitive performance in DBA mice.

Behavioural experiments in mice are often carried out during the resting phase of these nocturnal animals. Ignoring the fact that mice are more active during the dark period, results from resting-phase testing has also been used to characterize these animals. Since the influence of the light/dark cycle on testing is likely to be a relevant factor for the analysis of behavioural results, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the relative time of the day as well as light conditions during testing on behavioural and cognitive performance in inbred mice.

Activity patterns as a correlate for sleep-wake behaviour in mice.

Sleep-wake behaviour in mice is known to interact with various behavioural dimensions. Therefore, it is necessary to control for such dimensions when evaluating sleep in mice. The characterisation of sleep in rodents usually is based on EEG signals.

Cognitive performance in rats differing in their inborn anxiety.

There is profound evidence that cognitive processes and anxiety are interrelated. To learn more about this interaction, the authors tested rats bred for either high (HABs) or low (LABs) anxiety-related behavior in a modified hole board task. This task allows parallel investigation of various cognitive processes and possibly related behavioral dimensions, both under baseline conditions and during cognitively stressful situations.