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Review
. 2022 May;52(3):158-169.
doi: 10.1007/s10519-022-10102-1. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

The Hole-Board Test in Mutant Mice

Robert Lalonde  1 , Catherine Strazielle  2   3
Affiliations
Review

The Hole-Board Test in Mutant Mice

Robert Lalonde et al. Behav Genet. 2022 May.

Abstract

First described by Boissier and Simon in (Ther Recreat J 17:1225-1232, 1962), the hole-board has become a recognized test of anxiety and spatial memory. Benzodiazepines acting at the GABAA-BZD site increase hole-pokes in rats and mice, indicating a loss in behavioral inhibition concordant with the behavior of mutant mice deficient in the GABA transporter. Hole-poking also depends on arousal mechanisms dependent on dopaminergic transmission, as indicated by drug and null mutant studies. In addition, the behavior is modified in natural and null mutants affecting the cerebellum as well as null mutants affecting neuropeptides, growth factors, cell adhesion, and inflammation. Further research is required to determine convergences between genetic and pharmacological effects.

Keywords: Behavioral inhibition; Benzodiazepines; Cerebellum; GABA; Hippocampus; Mouse exploration; Perseveration; Spatial memory.

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