Reliability, robustness, and reproducibility in mouse behavioral phenotyping: a cross-laboratory study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genomics
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Standardized behavioral phenotyping is crucial for mouse functional genomics.
• Reproducibility across laboratories and time is essential for reliable data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To devise and validate a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for mouse behavioral analysis.
• To assess the robustness and reproducibility of these SOPs in a multicenter setting.

Main Methods:

• Development and cross-validation of SOPs for behavioral tests.
• Testing across five research centers in Europe.
• Analysis of four common inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6J, C3HeB/FeJ, BALB/cByJ, 129S2/SvPas).
• Utilized tests including open field, SHIRPA, grip strength, rotarod, Y-maze, prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle response, and tail flick.

Main Results:

• The developed SOPs generated reproducible results for several behavioral test parameters across laboratories.
• Identified uncontrolled variables that act as confounding factors in behavioral phenotyping.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of multicenter validation of behavioral assays.

Conclusions:

• The EUMORPHIA SOPs represent a significant step towards standardized mouse behavioral phenotyping.
• Further refinement is needed to address uncontrolled variables and enhance robustness for large-scale programs.
• These SOPs provide a foundation for developing more reliable phenotyping platforms.