Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026
11:12
Driving Simulation in the Clinic: Testing Visual Exploratory Behavior in Daily Life Activities in Patients with Visual Field Defects
Published on: September 18, 2012
17.9K
Exploratory rearing: a context- and stress-sensitive behavior recorded in the open-field test
Oliver Sturman1, Pierre-Luc Germain2, Johannes Bohacek1
1a Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Lab of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience , ETH Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|February 17, 2018
Summary
Spontaneous rearing in rodents, a behavior often overlooked in anxiety studies, shows promise as a stress indicator. Unsupported rearing, specifically, is sensitive to acute stress and context, offering a stable measure for repeated testing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Psychology
Background:
- Stressful experiences correlate with anxiety disorders in humans.
- Rodent models are crucial for studying anxiety, often using open-field tests.
- Spontaneous rearing behavior in rodents is frequently disregarded in anxiety research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spontaneous rearing behaviors in rodents as potential anxiety indicators.
- To differentiate between supported and unsupported rearing.
- To assess the sensitivity of rearing behaviors to stress and context.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an automated open-field test for rodent behavioral analysis.
- Defined and quantified two distinct rearing behaviors: supported and unsupported.
- Examined sex differences and the impact of acute stress and testing conditions on rearing.
Main Results:
- Both supported and unsupported rearing are context-dependent with notable sex differences (females rear less than males).
- Unsupported rearing is reduced under acute stress and more aversive conditions.
- Unsupported rearing demonstrated stability within individual animals across repeated testing sessions.
Conclusions:
- Spontaneous rearing, particularly unsupported rearing, serves as a sensitive indicator of anxiety in rodents.
- These behaviors are highly context-dependent and exhibit sex differences.
- Rearing behaviors offer a valuable, stable measure for repeated testing in behavioral anxiety studies.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Self Within Cultural Contexts
248
Cultural frameworks for understanding the self are often categorized into two broad orientations: individualism and collectivism. These paradigms influence how people define themselves, relate to others, and interpret their social worlds. Each orientation offers distinct perspectives on autonomy, responsibility, and the role of the individual within a community.Individualistic CulturesIn individualistic cultures like North America and Western Europe, identity is understood as autonomous and...
248
01:21Impact of Social Context on Individuals
350
Social psychology examines how the real or imagined presence of others influences individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A key concept in this field is the role of social context in shaping behavior. The same individual may act differently depending on the social setting, due to the varying expectations and norms associated with each environment. This context-dependent behavior illustrates the influence of social roles, which prescribe appropriate conduct in specific situations.Social...
350
02:02Responses to Salt Stress
14.7K
Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
14.7K
00:54What is Behavior?
10.3K
Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.
10.3K
02:56The Fossil Record
27.5K
The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
27.5K
01:22Vygotsky's Cognitive Development in Cultural Context
1.1K
Lev Vygotsky, a pioneering Russian psychologist, developed a theory of cognitive development that centers on the influence of social and cultural factors. Unlike Jean Piaget, who emphasized the child's direct interaction with the physical world as key to development, Vygotsky argued that cognitive growth is an interpersonal process that unfolds within a cultural context. For Vygotsky, a child's learning cannot be separated from their social environment, which includes the values,...
1.1K