Analyses of Rodent Grooming and its Behavioral Microstructure in Modern Neurobiological Studies

Grooming is a complex innate animal behavior used as an indicator of the physiological state of rodents under stress. Here, we analyze the impact of various experimental factors, including genetic, pharmacological and physiological, on self-grooming behavior of laboratory mice and rats. Analysis of grooming microstructure assesses not only the amount, but also the frequency, sequence, localization and consistency of this behavior, and can serve as a sensitive marker of changes in the brain, its response to stress, and predisposition to pathological conditions that model human mental illnesses, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism and depression. Studying rodent self-grooming microstructure can provide valuable information about the mechanisms of brain pathogenesis and has multiple important translational implications for neuroscience research.