Development of a novel analysis method for evaluating PTSD-like behavior in mice based on DSM-V criteria

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) presents significant challenges in treatment due to poorly understood mechanisms.
• Existing therapies for PTSD are limited, highlighting the need for better models to study its underlying causes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel behavioral analysis method for robustly defining a PTSD-like phenotype in mice.
• To classify mice exposed to a modified single prolonged stress (mSPS) paradigm as either susceptible or resilient to PTSD-like symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a modified single prolonged stress (mSPS) paradigm combined with single housing to induce PTSD-like conditions in mice.
• Developed a quantitative analysis method using DSM-V criteria to define PTSD-like phenotypes based on behavioral parameters.
• Classified mice into susceptible (outside 85th confidence interval for ≥1 parameter across 8 criteria) and resilient groups.

Main Results:

• Successfully defined a PTSD-like phenotype in mice aligning with all 8 DSM-V criteria.
• Identified 29.76% of mSPS-exposed mice as susceptible, mirroring human PTSD incidence rates.
• Resilient mice were further evaluated for anhedonia and hyperlocomotive behaviors.

Conclusions:

• The novel behavioral analysis method robustly defines a PTSD-like phenotype in mice.
• This method facilitates the identification of a more consistent susceptible population for PTSD research.
• The approach may aid in discovering PTSD mechanisms and understanding its comorbidities.