Evaluation of Social Odor Preference and Social Communication with the Same- and Opposite-Sex Conspecifics in Male Mice

This report describes a three-step protocol to evaluate social preference toward conspecifics of either sex in male mice suitable for screening social communication deficits. Social communications are among the predominant activities in many animal species and are essential for their survival and reproduction. Some of the key social interactions occur with the same-sex and opposite-sex conspecifics and include approach, exploration, allogrooming, courtship, mating, and aggression. Laboratory mouse models are well suited to examine social interactions. Notably, mouse social behavior is primarily driven by the odor cues as the olfactory system serves the primary sensory modality in rodents. Thus, odor perception and processing define social communication with males and females. To comprehensively yet efficiently screen social communication with conspecifics of either sex, a three-step protocol was developed, including the odor preference, the social odor preference and the Two-intruders test. The odor preference test evaluates a test animal’s ability to discriminate odors per se and involves food odor. The social odor preference test uses male’s and female’s bedding to evaluate preference toward social odor. The Two-intruders test involves simultaneous interaction with a male and a female in a home cage in order to evaluate direct social interaction with the same-sex and opposite-sex conspecifics. The suggested behavioral pipeline evaluates the role of the main and accessory olfactory systems (AOS and MOS) in a particular phenotype found in a mouse model or condition under study.