Three Chamber Test
LSID: http://syli.cz/urn:lsid:public.sylics.com:conventionaltest:EA32-G578-G659Materials and Methods
Mice were singly housed on sawdust in standard Makrolon type II cages enriched with cardboard nesting material for at least one week prior to experiments, with water and food ad libitum (7:00/19:00 lights on/off; providing an abrupt phase transition).
Associated Mammalian Phenotype Ontologies (MGI)
- MP:0001360 abnormal social investigation
- MP:0001392 abnormal locomotor behaviour
Three Chamber Test
The test took place in an test arena made of clear Perspex (20 cm (length) × 40.5 cm (width) × 22 cm (height)) that was equally divided into three chambers, as described previously (Nadler et al, 2004). The chambers were connected through two small openings (5 × 10 cm) in both dividing walls. In the outer chambers, a wire cup (pencil holder) was placed up-side-down, with a weight on top, to prevent mice from climbing the cup. Prior to each test, the apparatus was thoroughly cleaned with 70% alcohol. During the first phase of the test, the subject mouse was placed in the inner chamber for 10 min, with both openings to the outer chambers blocked. During the next 10 min, doors to the outer chambers were open and the outer chamber could be explored. To prepare for the third phase of the test, the mouse was confined in the middle chamber, while the outer chambers were equipped with a wire cup placed up-side-down, with a weight on top to prevent mice from climbing it. Under one of the two wire cups a stimulus mouse was placed (docile strain, similar weight and age as the subject mouse), that had been habituated to this procedure during previous days. During all three phases, the behavior of a subject mouse was monitored with one overhead camera and video tracking software that was following the head of the mouse (Viewer 2, BIOBSERVE GmbH, Bonn, Germany). The time spent in, and frequency of entering the three compartments (mouse, middle and object compartment), as well as zones immediately around the wire cups (mouse zone and object zone) were determined. A sociability ratio was calculated by dividing the time in the mouse (Mouse) compartment or zone, by the time in the object (Object) compartment or zone. A sociability index was calculated as well (Mouse-Object/Mouse+Object).
Parameter information
| Parameter name | Units |
| (P3) Distance Moved | cm |
| (P3) Sociability Index compartments | index |
| (P3) Sociability Index zones | index |
| (P3) Sociability Ratio compartments | ratio |
| (P3) Sociability Ratio zones | ratio |
| (P3) Time spent in mouse compartment | s |
| (P3) Time spent in mouse zone | s |
| (P3) Time spent in object compartment | s |
| (P3) Time spent in object zone | s |
| (P3) Time spent in compartments | s |
| (P3) Time spent in zones | s |
| (P3) Sociability Index compartments per 5 min | s |
| (P3) Sociability Index zones per 5 min | s |
| (P3) Time spent in zones first 5 min | s |
| (P3) Time spent in compartments first 5 min | s |