Validation of a non-food or water motivated effort-based foraging task as a measure of motivational state in male mice.

ABSTRACT: Disorders of motivation such as apathy syndrome are highly prevalent across neurological disorders but do not yet have an agreed treatment approach. The use of translational behavioural models can provide a route through which to meaningfully screen novel drug targets. Methods that utilise food deprivation in contrived environments may lack the sensitivity to detect deficits in self-initiated behaviour, and may have limited translation to normal behaviour. Animals monitored in more naturalistic environments may display more ethologically-relevant behaviours of greater translational value. Here, we aimed to validate a novel, non-food or water motivated effort-based foraging task as a measure of motivational state in mice. In this task, the mouse can freely choose to exert effort to forage n

SUBMITTER: Xeni F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11479259 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature