Systematic, standardized and comprehensive neurological phenotyping of inbred mice strains in the German Mouse Clinic

J Neurosci Methods. 2006 Oct 15;157(1):82-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2006.04.002. Epub 2006 May 23.

Abstract

Neurological and psychiatric disorders are among the most common and most serious health problems in developed countries. Transgenic mouse models mimicking human neurological diseases have provided new insights into development and function of the nervous system. One of the prominent goals of the German National Genome Research Network is the understanding of the in vivo function of single genes and the pathophysiological and clinical consequences of respective mutations. The German Mouse Clinic (GMC) offers a high-throughput primary screen of genetically modified mouse models as well as an in-depth analysis in secondary and tertiary screens covering various fields of mouse physiology. Here we describe the phenotyping methods of the Neurological Screen in the GMC, exemplified in the four inbred mouse lines C57BL/6J, C3HeB/FeJ, BALB/cByJ, and 129S2/SvPas. For our primary screen, we generated "standard operating procedures" that were validated between different laboratories. The phenotyping of inbred strains already showed significant differences in various parameters, thus being a prerequisite for the examination of mutant mouse lines.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Appetitive Behavior / physiology
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Electroencephalography / methods
  • Female
  • Fourier Analysis
  • Germany
  • Male
  • Mass Screening / standards*
  • Mental Disorders / genetics
  • Mental Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred Strains*
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Motor Activity / physiology
  • Mutation
  • Nervous System Diseases / genetics
  • Nervous System Diseases / physiopathology*
  • Phenotype*
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Rotarod Performance Test / methods
  • Upper Extremity / physiology