Inheritance of Avoidance Conditioning in Mice: A Diallel Study

Collins, Robert L.

doi:10.1126/science.143.3611.1188

Cited by 84 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The problem was that some investigators observed certain strains, e.g., C3H or CBA, to learn very slowly, if at all (Bovet et al, 1968;Bovet-Nitti, 1969), while others found the same strains to be among the best learners (Stasik, 1970;Collins, 1964). Wahlsten (1971) obtained this result within one experiment; the CBA/J strain learned jump-out avoidance most quickly but was very poor at one-way avoidance.…”

Section: Generality Of Learning Differencesmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…In most studies employing inbred mouse strains as parents, significant directional dominance was observed. The F 1 hybrids were generally superior to the average of their parents for learning of a two-choice maze for food reward (Vicari, 1929), lever pressing for food reward (Smart, 1970), water-escape learning (Winston, 1964;Winston and Lindzey, 1964), shock-avoidance learning (Collins, 1964;Schlesinger and Wimer, 1967;Abeelen, 1966;Rose and Parsons, 1970;Wahlsten, 1971;Oliverio et al, 1971), and CER conditioning (Henderson, 1968a). Many instances of overdominance were also reported.…”

Section: Examination Ofmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Genetic experiments with animal learning: A critical review

Wahłsten

1972

Behavioral Biology

138

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Abstract:The basic patterns of inheritance of learning ability in animals have been delineated. Summaries of strain differences in learning rate, responses to selective breeding for learning, heritabilities of learning phenotypes, and heterosis and overdominance are presented. In addition, the patterns of inheritance are shown to vary with the early environment.The causes of genetic differences have received much attention, but much of the research is inconclusive. Both general learning ability and task-specific abilities are important, but their relative importance is not known for most learning tasks. Strain differences have been found to vary widely in response to variations in stimulus parameters, motivational levels, temporal spacing of trials, and pharmacological manipulations. However, in only a few cases have strain differences in learning actually been shown to be attributable to differences in sensory capacities, motivation, memory or activity levels. The physiological bases for differences are totally unknown. The pathways of gene action on learning also await discovery.Although some researchers have claimed to study the adaptive value of learning, their exclusive utilization of laboratory populations precludes meaningful interpretation of their results.Several methodological shortcomings of various experiments are considered, and important areas for future research are suggested. Article:Learning is a phenotype which has engaged the interests of numerous researchers seeking genetic bases for behavioral differences. In fact, much of the earliest research identifiable as behavior genetics dealt with some aspect of learning in animals (Bagg, 1916;Yerkes, 1916;Tolman, 1924). Ensuing experimentation was performed primarily by psychologists using genetically ill-defined populations. The rather recent appearance of standardized inbred mouse strains with widespread availability has led to renewed interest in the genetic analysis of learning, as well as other phenotypes. Several sophisticated quantitative genetic tools are now readily available for the study of learning. Examples of the application to learning research of selective breeding, the classical cross, the diallel cross, sib analysis, parent-offspring regression, and single-gene analysis have appeared recently.A central motive for compiling the present review is the author's opinion that the increase in genetic sophistication has not been paralleled by a similar growth in the sophistication of measures of learning. In many studies it appears that learning was selected as a phenotype of convenience and general interest.Similarly, the questions about learning investigated have tended to be simplistic and of little interest to those concerned with the nature of the learning process itself. Many recent studies have raised issues that were presented in the earliest research and therefore have contributed little to progress in the area. This is an unfortunate situation in view of the potential power of genetic techniques to answer important questions abou...

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Section: Generality Of Learning Differencesmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Examination Ofmentioning

confidence: 93%

Genetic experiments with animal learning: A critical review

Wahłsten

1972

Behavioral Biology

138

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“…As suggested above, Ch7 QTL is likely to involve the albino (tyr) locus, or be closely linked to it, because the QTL is a nearly perfect predictor of recorded albino/pigmented coat color, and thus reflects the action of the tyrosinase mutation on behavior (Collins, 1964, DeFries, 1969. Behavioral phenotypes of pigmented heterozygous and homozygous mice are largely indistinguishable.…”

Section: Principal Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

QTL Analysis of Multiple Behavioral Measures of Anxiety in Mice

et al. 2004

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In a test battery consisting of an open-field arena, a light-dark box, a mirror-chamber box, an elevated plus maze, and an elevated square maze, 1,671 mice were tested, generating over 100 putative measures of anxiety in rodents. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was carried out on all measures, plus composite measures and phenotypic factor scores. Significant LOD scores were found for QTL on 17 chromosomes, with large and consistent QTL behavioral effects on chromosomes 1, 4, 7, 8, 14, 15, l8, and X. QTL on chromosomes 4 and 8 largely influence locomotor activity in both home cages and novel environments, whereas QTL on chromosomes 1, 15, and 18 influence anxiety-related behaviors. Five genetically separable, cross-test dimensions of anxiety could be identified: (i) the suppression of locomotor activity in low to moderately anxiogenic regions of the tests; (ii) a shift toward proportionally less time and activity spent in high-anxiogenic test areas; (iii) the suppression of rearing behavior; (iv) increased latency to enter novel areas; (v) increased autonomic responses, as assessed by defecation and urination. Patterns of QTL influence on cross-test composite scores were distinctive. For example, the QTL on chromosome 1 strongly influenced safe-area locomotor activity (LOD = 35) and autonomic responses (LOD = 16), whereas the QTL on chromosome 15 influenced the proportion of activity in high-anxiogenic areas (LOD = 16), latency to enter novel areas (LOD = 36) and rearing behavior (LOD = 57). Phenotypic factor analysis identified factors heavily loaded on single tests, rather than cross-test factors. The use of factor analysis or within-test principal components for data reduction before genetic analysis was less satisfactory than using genetic dissection methods on the original measures and logically derived composites.

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“…They reported that the C57BL/6 and C3H/He strains were much inferior to the DBA/2 strain in the acquisition of the discrete shuttle avoidance response in which a light was presented as the conditioned stimulus. However, it has been well-known that the C3H/He strain has rodless retinas and that this strain acquired fairly well the avoidance response in a discrete shuttle avoidance situation in which buzzer tone was used as the conditioned stimulus (2,21,22) or in a continuous shuttle avoidance situation in which no conditioned stimulus was presented (17). It is therefore important to select the conditioned stimulus to study acquisition of the discrete avoidance response in mice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Acquisition of Discrete Lever-Press and Shuttle Avoidance Responses in 6 Strains of Mice

Kuribara

Tadokoro

1986

Japanese Journal of Pharmacology

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Abstract-Characteristics of the acquisition processes of discrete lever-press and shuttle avoidance responses (intertrial interval=25 sec, warning duration=5 sec with an escape contingency, and 1 session=l hr training/day) as well as those of the ambulatory activity were investigated in 6 strains of mice (dd, ICR, BALB/c, C57BL/6, C3H/He and DBA/2).In the lever-press avoidance situation, the dd, BALB/c and DBA/2 strains demonstrated a good avoidance response, showing average avoidance rates of higher than 80% within 10-15 sessions of the training. The C3H/He also demonstrated a good avoidance response, though 20 sessions or more of the training were required to attain to the level. The ICR and C57BL/6 strains demonstrated a poorer avoidance response than the other 4 strains, and achieved average avoidance rates of 30-40%.The dd, BALB/c, C3H/He and DBA/ 2 strains also demonstrated a good shuttle avoidance response when they were trained in an experimental box of 50 cm in width.In contrast, the ICR and C57BL/ 6 strains demonstrated an extremely poor avoidance response in this situation, showing an average avoidance rate of less than 10%. However, when the dd, ICR and C57BL/6 strains were trained in a shuttle box of 30 cm in width, they rapidly acquired the avoidance response, and the average avoidance rates finally achieved were much higher than those of the mice trained in the shuttle box of 50 cm in width.In particular, the C57BL/6 strain exhibited the best avoidance response among the 3 strains. The ambulatory activity of the C57BL/6 strain was less than those of the other 5 strains.

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Inheritance of Avoidance Conditioning in Mice: A Diallel Study

Cited by 84 publications

References 7 publications

Genetic experiments with animal learning: A critical review

Genetic experiments with animal learning: A critical review

QTL Analysis of Multiple Behavioral Measures of Anxiety in Mice

Differences in Acquisition of Discrete Lever-Press and Shuttle Avoidance Responses in 6 Strains of Mice

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