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BDNF-restricted knockout mice as an animal model for aggression.
1Unit on Behavioral Genetics, Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. itow@mail.nih.gov
Genes, Brain, and Behavior
|January 25, 2011
Summary
Conditional knockout mice lacking brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in specific brain regions show increased aggression and object recognition deficits without changes in anxiety or depression behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Genetics
Background:
- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in neuronal plasticity and behavior.
- Previous studies on BDNF knockout mice showed aggression, anxiety, and cognitive deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the behavioral phenotype of conditional BDNF knockout mice using the KA1-Cre driver line.
- To investigate the specific role of BDNF in aggression, anxiety, depression, and cognition in a targeted manner.
Main Methods:
- Generation of conditional BDNF knockout mice using KA1-Cre recombinase.
- Behavioral testing including elevated plus maze, open field test, forced swim test, tail suspension test, social recognition, spatial memory, fear memory, and object recognition tasks.
Main Results:
- Mutant mice exhibited elevated conspecific aggression and social dominance.
- No significant changes in anxiety-like behaviors were observed.
- No changes in depression-like behaviors were noted, with a slight increase in immobility in the tail suspension test.
- Normal social recognition, spatial memory, and fear memory were found.
- A deficit in object recognition was observed in the mutant mice.
Conclusions:
- The KA1-Cre mediated conditional BDNF knockout provides a specific model for studying aggression and object recognition deficits.
- This model dissociates aggression and object recognition deficits from anxiety and depression-like behaviors, unlike global or forebrain-restricted knockouts.
