Freezing Behavior Assessment
Objective: Measurement of freezing response to conditioned fear stimuli to evaluate fear acquisition and extinction in hippocampal BDNF-deleted mice
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Equipment2
Materials2
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Software1
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Protocol Steps
Lentiviral injection into dorsal hippocampus
Bilateral injection of lentivirus expressing Cre recombinase into the dorsal hippocampus of adult mice floxed at the BDNF locus
Note: Performed in adult animals to achieve site-specific BDNF deletion
View evidence from paper
“injected a lentivirus expressing Cre recombinase bilaterally into the dorsal hippocampus in adult mice floxed at the BDNF locus”
Fear conditioning
Condition animals to fear stimuli; specific conditioning parameters not detailed in provided text
Note: Acquisition of fear was not significantly affected by BDNF deletion
View evidence from paper
“no effects on the acquisition or expression fear”
Freezing behavior measurement
Measure freezing response to conditioned fear stimuli to assess fear extinction
Note: BDNF-deleted animals showed significantly reduced extinction of conditioned fear
View evidence from paper
“extinction of conditioned fear as measured both with fear-potentiated startle and freezing”
Fear-potentiated startle measurement
Measure startle response potentiated by fear conditioning to assess extinction
Note: Alternative measure of fear extinction alongside freezing behavior
View evidence from paper
“extinction of conditioned fear as measured both with fear-potentiated startle and freezing”
Baseline anxiety assessment
Measure baseline anxiety using startle response
Note: No significant effects of BDNF deletion on baseline anxiety
View evidence from paper
“baseline anxiety measured with startle”
Locomotion assessment
Measure locomotor activity
Note: No significant effects of BDNF deletion on locomotion
View evidence from paper
“no significant effects of BDNF deletion on locomotion”