Social transmission of food preference in mice: Methodology and application to galanin-overexpressing transgenic mice.

• DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.117.1.21
• Publication Date: 2005-10-11T21:06:41Z
• Authors: Craige C. Wrenn; Ashley P. Harris; Maria C. Saavedra; Jacqueline N. Cra...
• Keywords: Smell; Food Preferences; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Memory; Animals; Galanin; Mice, Transgenic; Social Behavior

Social transmission of food preference (STFP) is a test of olfactory memory that can be used in mice. Confounds in STFP that can lead to misinterpretation of an STFP deficit as a memory impairment include changes in social interaction and olfaction. The issue of changes in social interaction was addressed by evaluating an observer-centric and a demonstrator-centric method for scoring the interaction phase of STFP in mice. The demonstrator-centric method was applied to a line of STFP-impaired, galanin-overexpressing transgenic (GAL-tg). GAL-tg mice were impaired in STFP without deficits in social interaction. In tests of olfactory ability, GAL-tg mice were unimpaired on buried-food and habituation-dishabituation tasks. The current studies describe an expanded method for using STFP in mice and confirm a deficit in olfactory memory in GAL-tg mice.