Figure 4: Mice’s exploration of the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) following Dominant-Submissive Relationship (DSR) testing.
Description
Reiteration of the EPM after DSR testing enabled the comparison of Dom and Sub mice’s risk assessment to that at baseline. Sub mice demonstrated increased exploration of the open portions of the maze after repeated social defeat, measured by the portion of time spent in open arms (A) and the portion of total arm entries attributed to the open arms (B). Both mice strains displayed markedly reduced locomotion in the second iteration of EPM testing (C). Data are presented as mean ±SEM, n=10; variables contributing to statistical significance by repeated-measures two-way ANOVA indicated as: strain (##-p<0.01, ###-p<0.001), DSR testing (+-p<0.05, ++++-p<0.0001) and strain-DSR interaction (^^^-p<0.001); OT/TT: time in open arms/total time; OE/TE: entries to open arms/total arm entries.