Repeated behavioral testing and the use of summary measures reveal trait anxiety in preclinical rodent models.

ABSTRACT: The reliability and validity of preclinical anxiety testing is essential for translating animal research into clinical use. However, the commonly used anxiety tests lack inter-test correlations and face challenges with repeatability. While translational animal research should be able to capture stable individual anxiety traits - the core feature of anxiety disorders - the conventional approach employs a single type of test at a single time, which primarily reflects transient states of animals that are heavily influenced by experimental conditions. Here, we propose a validated, optimized test battery capable of reliably capturing trait anxiety in rats and mice of both sexes. Instead of developing novel tests, we combined widely used tests (elevated plus-maze, open field and light-dark test)

SUBMITTER: Varga ZK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12578826 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature