Behavioral Avoidance and Anxiety Assessment
Objective: Quantification of anxiety-like behavior and avoidance responses in mice exposed to predictable versus unpredictable auditory stimulation to determine if temporal unpredictability per se induces sustained neural activity in the amygdala and elicits anxiety-like behavior
Protocol Steps
Auditory Stimulation - Unpredictable Condition
Expose mice to temporal unpredictability within a time series of neutral sound pulses in an otherwise neutral sensory environment
Note: Unpredictable auditory stimulation condition - this is the experimental manipulation
View evidence from paper
“Exposing mice to mere temporal unpredictability within a time series of neutral sound pulses in an otherwise neutral sensory environment”
Auditory Stimulation - Predictable Condition
Expose mice to predictable auditory stimulation as control condition
Note: Predictable auditory stimulation serves as control comparison
View evidence from paper
“unpredictable, but not predictable, auditory stimulation induced avoidance and anxiety-like behavior”
Behavioral Assessment
Quantify avoidance and anxiety-like behavior responses during auditory stimulation exposure
Note: Behavioral responses are measured as primary outcome
View evidence from paper
“At the behavioral level, unpredictable, but not predictable, auditory stimulation induced avoidance and anxiety-like behavior”
Neural Activity Assessment
Measure immediate-early gene c-fos expression and single neuron activity in the basolateral amygdala
Note: Neural correlates of unpredictability processing
View evidence from paper
“increased expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos and prevented rapid habituation of single neuron activity in the basolateral amygdala”