Comprehensive behavioural study of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 and senescence-accelerated mouse prone 10

Aging is the strongest risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases and has been implicated in important changes in the brain. Rodents, such as mice, have been used to understand age-related changes in brain function, and aging has been studied using senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM) strains. Accumulating evidence indicates that SAM-prone (SAMP)8 and SAMP10 strains have learning disabilities. However, in previous studies, these strains were not subjected to a series of behavioural tests. In behavioural experiments, it is necessary to conduct a behavioural test battery to consider various aspects, including sources of variability and experimental interference. This study aimed to comprehensively characterize behavioural abnormalities in SAMP8 and SAMP10 mice using a standardized battery of behavioural tests. We conducted a series of behavioural tests (neuromuscular strength, elevated plus maze, light-dark transition, open field, Y-maze, and passive avoidance tests) to investigate behaviour in SAMP8 and SAMP10 strains. We used 12-month-old male mice in this study. SAMP8 and SAMP10 mice exhibited abnormal behaviour in the present behavioural tests. Body weight, body temperature, muscle strength, and motor learning differed between SAMP8 or SAMP10 and SAMR1 mice. These differences may underlie variations in anxiety-like behaviours and locomotor activity. Together, these findings highlight the utility of SAMP8 and SAMP10 mice as models for studying age-related functional decline in the brain.