Social Interaction Test
Objective: To measure anxiety-like behavior in rats by quantifying active social interaction under varying environmental conditions (light levels and box familiarity)
This is a Social Interaction Test protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 9 procedural steps, 2 equipment items. Extracted from a 1978 paper published in British Journal of Pharmacology.
Model and subjects
rat • male
Study window
~20 minutes hands-on
Core workflow
Prepare test box conditions • Place rat pairs in test box • Conduct observation period
Primary readouts
- Time spent in active social interaction
- Time spent in exploration (sniffing objects)
- Defecation frequency
- Freezing behavior
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Prepare test box conditions
Set up test box with controlled light levels and establish familiarity conditions (familiar vs unfamiliar box)
Note: Two conditions tested: low light with familiar box, and increased light with unfamiliar box
View evidence from paper
“Maximum active interaction was found when the rats were tested under low light in a box with which they were familiar. When the light level was increased or when the box was unfamiliar...”
Place rat pairs in test box
Place pairs of male rats into the test box under the specified environmental conditions
Note: Rats tested in pairs
View evidence from paper
“Pairs of male rats were placed in a test box for 10 min”
Conduct observation period
Observe and record behavior of rat pairs during the test session
Note: Multiple behavioral measures recorded simultaneously
View evidence from paper
“Pairs of male rats were placed in a test box for 10 min and the time they spent in active social interaction was scored.”
Score active social interaction
Quantify the time spent in active social interaction during the 10-minute test period
Note: Primary outcome measure
View evidence from paper
“the time they spent in active social interaction was scored”
Record exploration behavior
Measure time spent sniffing objects as a secondary behavioral measure
Note: Exploration decreased in same pattern as social interaction across test conditions
View evidence from paper
“Exploration (time spent sniffing objects) decreased in the same way in relation to test conditions as did social interaction.”
Record anxiety-related behaviors
Measure defecation and freezing behavior as indicators of anxiety
Note: These behaviors increased as social interaction and exploration decreased
View evidence from paper
“As these decreased, defecation, and freezing increased.”
Conduct anosmic control experiment
Test anosmic (olfactory-impaired) rats to determine if olfactory changes in partner affect social interaction
Note: Control condition to rule out olfactory confounds
View evidence from paper
“Anosmic controls showed that the decrease in social interaction across test conditions could not be attributed to olfactory changes in the partner.”
Administer chronic chlordiazepoxide treatment
Treat rats chronically with chlordiazepoxide at 5 mg/kg dose
Note: Chronic administration contrasts with acute effects which are purely sedative
View evidence from paper
“Chlordiazepoxide (5 mg/kg) given chronically prevented or significantly reduced the decrease in social interaction”
Test drug-treated rats under varying conditions
Repeat social interaction testing with chronically treated rats under the same light and box familiarity conditions
Note: Compare results to undrugged controls
View evidence from paper
“Chlordiazepoxide (5 mg/kg) given chronically prevented or significantly reduced the decrease in social interaction that occurred in undrugged rats as the light level or the unfamiliarity of the test box was increased.”