Cognitive Test Solution by Laborpatory Mice. Neurophysiological Traits in Animals of Different Genotypes

The data of anxiety, exploration activity and depression proneness are presented for two pairs of mouse strains differing paiowise by scores in cognitive “puzzle-box” test solution (object permanence). Animals of the first pair were mice, selected for large and small relative brain weight (LB and SB) with the prevalence of cognitive object permanence test (puzzle box) solution by LB mice. The second pair of strains were mice selected for puzzle box successful solution (“plus” strain) and for failure of solution (“minus” strain). The general pattern of differences in scores of tests used was not common for two strains which solved object permanence test successfully (i.e. LB and “plus” strains). Anxiety scores for SB mice were higher than those for LB, while no such differences were found in “plus”–“minus” pair of strains, which did not differ by brain weight. No common differences were found in exploration and depression-like scores. These data permit to suggest that differences described are due to differential expression of “executive functions”, probably connected with ascending axonal projections from brain stem structures.