The modified elevated gap interaction test: a novel paradigm to assess social preference.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Science
• Genetics

Background:

• Social deficits are prominent in various neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.
• Understanding the neural basis of social interaction is a major challenge in neuroscience.
• Standardized behavioral tests for assessing social preference are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel behavioral paradigm, the modified elevated gap interaction test (MEGIT), for quantifying social behavior.
• To establish MEGIT as a reliable tool for assessing social preference and detecting social phenotypes.
• To validate MEGIT using wild-type animals and mouse models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Williams Beuren syndrome (WBS).

Main Methods:

• Development of the modified elevated gap interaction test (MEGIT) where animals interact with a conspecific or object through a gap.
• Implementation of a deep-learning-based analysis for reliable quantification of social interaction.
• Testing MEGIT in wild-type mice, an ASD mouse model (hyposocial), and a WBS mouse model (hypersocial).

Main Results:

• Wild-type animals exhibited a clear social preference in the MEGIT.
• The ASD mouse model showed a significantly reduced social preference compared to wild-type controls.
• The WBS mouse model displayed an enhanced social preference, indicating sensitivity to social behavior variations.

Conclusions:

• The modified elevated gap interaction test (MEGIT) is a sensitive and reliable behavioral paradigm for measuring social preference.
• MEGIT effectively distinguishes between hyposocial and hypersocial phenotypes in mouse models.
• This test provides a valuable tool for neuroscience research into social behavior and related disorders.