Important Hints in Behavioural Teratology of Rodents

Authors: Alleva, E.; Sorace, A.

Source: Current Pharmaceutical Design, Volume 6, Number 1, 1 January 2000 , pp. 99-126(28)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

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Abstract:

The paper deals with the most important items regarding the improvement of quality of experimental procedures when testing drug effects on behaviour and development of commonly-used rodent species. Current-used test procedures for immature and adult rodents exposed early developmentally are briefly described and recent advances and difficulties in their hands-on interpretation are highlighted. Comparability of measures in human and animals for drug-effect assess-ment is also shortly discussed. It is then stressed that studies on rodents carried out in seminaturalistic and naturalistic settings may offer a highly profitable direction for future research in behavioural teratology and toxicology. A final paragraph is dedicated to the bioethical aspects arisen from the use of large number of rodents subjects in behavioural testing.

Keywords: Behaviovioural Treratology; rodents; fostering procedure; un fostering; in fostering; cross fostering; standard fostering; Crouching behaviour; straight jackets; statistical analysis; ANOVAs; pup reactivity; developmental studies; Drug challenge; psychoactive drugs; ultrasonic vocalisations; neonates; mental behaviour; locomotor; adult behaviour; rearing; avoidance task; sniffing; neophobia level; hot plate testing; naturalsitic