Multiple animal positioning system shows that socially-reared mice influence the social proximity of isolation-reared cagemates

• Published in: Communications biology 2018-01, Vol.1 (1), p.225, Article 225
• Main Authors: Endo, Nozomi, Ujita, Waka, Fujiwara, Masaya, Miyauchi, Hideaki, Mishima, Hiroyuki, Makino, Yusuke, Hashimoto, Lisa, Oyama, Hiroshi, Makinodan, Manabu, Nishi, Mayumi, Tohyama, Chiharu, Kakeyama, Masaki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/378/3919; 64/60; 692/699/476; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Housing; Life Sciences; Mental disorders; Phenotypes; Rodents; Social behavior; Social interactions
• ISSN: 2399-3642; 2399-3642
• DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0213-5

Social relationships are a key determinant of social behaviour, and disruption of social behaviour is a major symptom of several psychiatric disorders. However, few studies have analysed social relationships among multiple individuals in a group or how social relationships within a group influence the behaviour of members with impaired socialisation. Here, we developed a video-analysis-based system, the Multiple-Animal Positioning System (MAPS), to automatically and separately analyse the social behaviour of multiple individuals in group housing. Using MAPS, we show that social isolation of male mice during adolescence leads to impaired social proximity in adulthood. The phenotype of these socially isolated mice was partially rescued by cohabitation with group-housed (socially-reared) mice, indicating that both individual behavioural traits and those of cagemates influence social proximity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that low reactive behaviour of other cagemates also influence individual social proximity in male mice. Nozomi Endo, Waka Ujita et al. present a video-based system for analysing social behaviour of groups of mice. They find that male mice reared in isolation have impaired social proximity in adulthood, but this is partially rescued by cohabitation with socially-reared mice.