Summary: Kalueff & Tuohimaa (2005)

Grooming is an innate behaviour represented across most animal species. It is a rich source of behavioural and biological information and forms an important part of the rodent behavioural repertoire. Mice show strain differences in their behavioural phenotypes, particularly in grooming behaviour. Various stressors and genetic manipulations alter mouse grooming. Kalueff & Tuohimaa (2005) defined behavioural differences and organisation in spontaneous grooming activity (novelty-induced) between three strains (129S1, NMRI, BALB/c) of laboratory mice. All three strains showed contrasting grooming phenotypes. 129S1 showed lower grooming activity and impaired microstructure, accompanied by lower vertical exploration. BALB/c and NMRI mice showed higher vertical activity and unimpaired grooming microstructure, and BALB/c mice showed higher grooming levels. Kalueff & Tuohimaa's (2005) study suggests that contrasting grooming phenotypes may not be due to strain differences in their sensory abilities, general activity levels, brain anatomy or aggressiveness, but rather reflects a complex interplay between anxiety, motor and displacement activity in these strains. They suggest that an in-depth ethological analysis of mouse grooming may be a useful tool in neurobehavioural research and could contribute to our understanding of behavioural disorders in humans.