Effect of Spontaneous Partial Sensory Deprivation on the Behavior of Male C57BL/6N Mice.

The absence of whiskers, which is associated with the features of within-group interactions in animals, can be an important factor affecting the results of tests assessing their behavior. The effects of spontaneous partial sensory deprivation due to barbering was studied in male C57Bl/6N mice using a series of behavioral tests. The results indicate that the behavior of mice without whiskers cannot be classified as anxious-depressive, though there were significant differences from the behavior of control animals in the tube, open field, social interaction, and forced swimming tests. Thus, the results provide evidence that when running behavioral tests, the state of the whiskers should be assessed before inclusion of the animals into experimental groups and/or spontaneous barbering should be considered in the statistical analysis of the data from these tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]