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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Quantifying Social Motivation in Mice Using Operant Conditioning

Quantifying Social Motivation in Mice Using Operant Conditioning

Published on: August 8, 2015

Behavioral differences among C57BL/6 substrains: implications for transgenic and knockout studies.

Camron D Bryant¹, Nanci N Zhang, Greta Sokoloff

¹Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.

Journal of Neurogenetics

|December 17, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Two distinct C57BL/6 mouse substrains (C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N) exhibit significant behavioral differences. These variations in motor coordination, pain sensitivity, and fear responses highlight the importance of substrain selection in research.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Genetics
Animal Models

Background:

Separate breeding colonies of C57BL/6 mice have resulted in distinct substrains (C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N).
Genetic variations including polymorphisms and copy-number variants exist among these substrains, potentially causing phenotypic differences.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate and compare behavioral differences in motor coordination, pain sensitivity, and conditional fear between C57BL/6J and three C57BL/6N substrains.
To review existing literature on behavioral variations among C57BL/6 substrains and discuss implications for research.

Main Methods:

Behavioral assessments including rotarod assay for motor coordination and thermal nociception assays (tail withdrawal, hot plate) for pain sensitivity.
Conditional fear learning paradigms were employed to evaluate fear responses.
Data from different vendors (Charles River, Taconic, Harlan Sprague Dawley) for C57BL/6N substrains were analyzed.

Main Results:

Male C57BL/6J mice showed superior motor coordination compared to C57BL/6N substrains.
C57BL/6J mice exhibited significantly heightened pain sensitivity in thermal nociception tests.
C57BL/6J mice displayed reduced levels of conditional fear, a finding validated in an independent laboratory.

Conclusions:

Significant behavioral phenotypes distinguish C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N mouse substrains, impacting research outcomes.
Researchers must carefully consider substrain origin and potential environmental confounds when using C57BL/6 mice, especially in genetically engineered models.
Deliberate crosses between substrains offer opportunities for high-resolution genetic mapping of behavioral traits on a largely homogeneous background.