Use of anxiety tests in a wild rodent: carryover effects of repeated and battery testing

Abstract Repetition or use of batteries of tests has been commonly used in the assessment of anxiety as a way of reducing the number of individuals to be tested or following individuals’ response through time. However, in most cases, the existence of habituation/sensitization processes or modifications of the behavioural response to such a challenge was not evaluated. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate whether prior exposure to the same or different experimental devices influences behavioural response in a species of wild rodent, the subterranean Ctenomys talarum . In particular, we measured anxiety-like behaviours in adults of both sexes of C. talarum in three anxiety tests: Open Field, Elevated Plus Maze and Light/Dark Box. Test repetition resulted in changes in several of the group behavioural responses measured for all the tests. Likewise, previous experience in other tests affected the anxiety-like response in the elevated plus maze and in the light/dark box. Overall, this work demonstrated that, under the present protocol, both repeated exposure to the same anxiety test and previous experience with other tests induce changes in the activity and anxiety-like behaviour of C. talarum . We highlight the importance and need of validating experimental designs that include repetition and/or combination of behavioural tests.