Analysis of Behavior in Laboratory Rats

Abstract

This chapter presents the analysis of behavior in laboratory rats. The three main ways of evaluating behavior are: end-point measures, kinematics, and movement description. Sensorimotor tests are undertaken to evaluate the sensory and motor abilities of animals. The tests evaluate the ability of animals to orient to objects in the environment in each sensory modality. Posture and locomotion are supported by independent neural subsystems. A condition of immobility in which posture is supported against gravity is the objective of a large number of local and whole-body reflexes. Thus, immobility should be viewed as a behavior with complex allied reflexes. Locomotor behavior includes all of the acts in which an animal moves from one place to another. It includes the acts of initiating movement, turning behavior, exploratory behavior, and a variety of movement patterns on dry land, water, or vertical substrates. Skilled movements in rodents and primates are quite comparable, which makes rodent models quite generalizable to humans. Two commonly used tests of skilled movement are beam walking and skilled reaching.