Role of Aging in The Expression of Pain-related Depression of Nesting in Mice

Abstract

Pain stimulates some behaviors (e.g. flinching, vocalization), and depresses others (e.g. locomotor activity, social interactions). Pain-related depression of behavior is a key diagnostic criteria and treatment target in clinical settings, but preclinical research has primarily focused on pain-related stimulation of behavior. The present study aims to improve understanding of the impact of aging on pain-related depression of behavior by examining pain-related depression of nesting behavior in male ICR mice. The mice are placed in a cage containing nesting material, and the rate of consolidation of that material is determinedwith a schedule of data collection intervals. The impact of pain stimuli and analgesic drugs on nesting behavior are then determined. Previous studies have shown that physiologically-relevant pain stimuli depress nesting behavior, and clinically-relevant analgesics block pain-related depression of nesting. The present study will examine the role of aging as a determinant of the expression of pain-related depression of behavior by comparing pain-related depression of nesting by three age groups.