Social interaction test: a sensitive method for examining autism-related behavioral deficits

Autism-related behavioral de cits in rodents are most often studied with regard to impairment in reciprocal social interaction.The social interaction test is a simple test in which behaviors are videorecorded and analyzed to assess active interaction time in a test mouse with a novel mouse.Using this test, we found a reduction of social interaction in mouse models of tuberous sclerosis complex, in which the mice exhibited normal approach to a novel conspeci c in three-chamber social approach task.These results suggest that the social interaction test is more sensitive than the three-chamber social approach task for detecting social de cits.Moreover, other behaviors can be measured by analyzing the recorded video, such as rearing behavior, which was increased in mouse models of tuberous sclerosis complex.