Comparison of young male mice of two different strains (C57BL/6J and the hybrid B6129SF1/J) in selected behavior tests: a small scale study

Background All mouse strains are different, before choosing a strain for a large study, a small scale study should be done. In this study, we compared young males of two mouse strains, C57BL/6J and the hybrid B6129SF1/J, and gained knowledge on their performance in three different behavioral tests; open field (OF) test, Barnes maze (BM) test and a restraint stress test. Results We found that the young males of the C57BL/6J strain spent more time moving in the OF. In the BM, the hybrid covered less ground before reaching the goal box during the first three sessions, than the C57BL/6J. The hybrid left more fecal pellets than C57BL/6J both in OF and BM. During the stress test, the C57BL/6J had a lower corticosterone response than the hybrid. Conclusions Our findings indicate that the C57BL/6J has a presumably higher locomotor activity and/or explorative behavior than the hybrid, while the hybrid appeared more sensitive to stress.