Incorporating inter-individual variability in experimental design improves the quality of results of animal experiments.

ABSTRACT: Inter-individual variability in quantitative traits is believed to potentially inflate the quality of results in animal experimentation. Yet, to our knowledge this effect has not been empirically tested. Here we test whether inter-individual variability in emotional response within mouse inbred strains affects the outcome of a pharmacological experiment. Three mouse inbred strains (BALB/c, C57BL/6 and 129S2) were behaviorally characterized through repeated exposure to a mild aversive stimulus (modified Hole Board, five consecutive trials). A multivariate clustering procedure yielded two multidimensional response types which were displayed by individuals of all three strains. We show that systematic incorporation of these individual response types in the design of a pharmacological experime

SUBMITTER: van der Goot MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8341614 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature