Biomaterial Database

Pinch-induced catalepsy in mice. 1981

K Ornstein, and S Amir

Pinch-induced catalepsy was readily obtained in five strains of mice following repeated administration of strong pinches at the scruff of the neck. This catalepsy outlasted the pinch by minutes and was more easily induced on retests 48 hr after the initial acquisition tests. Repetitive tail pinches and/or exposure to the testing procedure without pinches also resulted in immobility; however, this was weak in magnitude and short in duration. Treatments designed to prevent immobility between trials (swimming in water or housing in the home cage with normally behaving littermates) failed to block or modify pinch-induced catalepsy. Spacing the trials up to one pinch per 10 min did not affect the emergence of pinch-induced catalepsy, but at one pinch per 30 min it was abolished. Pinch-induced catalepsy is strikingly similar to the behavior elicited in mice when attacked by a cat. In both cases, immobility is produced by pinches or bites at the scruff of the neck, and it outlasts the duration of the stimulus. These results support the notion of pinch-induced catalepsy as an adaptive coping strategy, increasing the chance of survival in predator/prey confrontations.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008815	Mice, Inbred Strains	Genetically identical individuals developed from brother and sister matings which have been carried out for twenty or more generations, or by parent x offspring matings carried out with certain restrictions. All animals within an inbred strain trace back to a common ancestor in the twentieth generation.	Inbred Mouse Strains,Inbred Strain of Mice,Inbred Strain of Mouse,Inbred Strains of Mice,Mouse, Inbred Strain,Inbred Mouse Strain,Mouse Inbred Strain,Mouse Inbred Strains,Mouse Strain, Inbred,Mouse Strains, Inbred,Strain, Inbred Mouse,Strains, Inbred Mouse
D009043	Motor Activity	Body movements of a human or an animal as a behavioral phenomenon.	Activities, Motor,Activity, Motor,Motor Activities
D009048	Motor Skills	Performance of complex motor acts.	Motor Skill,Skill, Motor,Skills, Motor
D009333	Neck	The part of a human or animal body connecting the HEAD to the rest of the body.	Necks
D009619	Nociceptors	Peripheral AFFERENT NEURONS which are sensitive to injuries or pain, usually caused by extreme thermal exposures, mechanical forces, or other noxious stimuli. Their cell bodies reside in the DORSAL ROOT GANGLIA. Their peripheral terminals (NERVE ENDINGS) innervate target tissues and transduce noxious stimuli via axons to the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.	Pain Receptors,Receptors, Pain,Nociceptive Neurons,Neuron, Nociceptive,Neurons, Nociceptive,Nociceptive Neuron,Nociceptor,Pain Receptor
D011187	Posture	The position or physical attitude of the body.	Postures
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus