Running head: RESEARCH DISCUSSION 1

Discussion Section of Paper for biology

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Discussion Section of Paper for biology

Research Summary

The overall results of the study depict that the C57 mice had more entries into the elevated plus-
maze test (EPM) compared to the 129s mice. The 129s mice made a total of 327 EPM entries, while the C57 mice made a total of
775 entries. This is in consideration of the entries that were made into the left arm, the right arm, and the center. On the other
hand, the C57 mice also had more open-field test (OF) entries compared to the 129s mice. According to the experimental data, it
is clear that the C57 mice recorded a total of 1696 entries, while the 129s mice recorded a total of 635 entries. The data for the
entries made by the mice in both experiments were generalized because the patterns for the number of entries were the same in all
the categories. The data also shows that the C57 mice recorded the highest EPM time in all categories compared to the 129s mice.
Seemingly, the C57 mice also recorded the highest OF time f or all the categories. This data supports the hypothesis
that the 129s mice had high anxiety behavior compared to the C57B6 mice.

Conclusions
 The results of the experiment depict the fact that C57 had less anxiety compared to the 129s
mice species. Research on the locomotive behavior of mice has shown that different types of mice
exhibit different behavior in regard to locomotion. There are groups of mice that move around a lot
compared to others. The movements of mice can be related to various factors, such as their metabolism
or movement towards food. However, the research results depict that there is a relationship between
the movement of mice and their levels of anxiety. Perhaps the movement of mice is not influenced by
external factors rather than internal factors such as response to fear.

According to the research results, it is clear that the C57B6 mice moved around more than the
129s mice because they had low anxiety. This group of mice hardly feared to enter the danger zones
during the experiment. They also took a long time in the danger zones compared to the 129s mice. If the
C57B6 mice had had high anxiety, they would be scared to move around the danger zones during the
experiment. These trends in anxiety behavior of mice vary from one group of mice to another. In this
experiment, the C57B6 group of mice is more locomotive compared to the 129s group of mice.

In similar research involving the C57 mice and another group of mice, BALB/c, Carola, D’Olimpio,
Mangia & Renzi (2002) found out that “BALB/c mice had a significantly lower overall locomotor activity than
C57BL/6 mice in both PM and OF.” This research shows that another group of mice also has high locomotive
behavior compared to the C57 group of mice. These disparities in the locomotion of mice exist depending on the
anxiety behavior of the group of mice.
Limitations and Future Studies
The main limitation of the research was the fact that no control experiment was used in both
cases. A control experiment would have helped to ensure that the trends of behavior exhibited by the
mice were caused by anxiety. Leaving the research at this point depicts that the behavior exhibited by
the mice may be just the natural behavior of the mice in their natural habitats. Future experiments
should use more motivation for the specimen used. EPM and OF tests should include an incentive for
the mice to determine whether an incentive could alter the anxiety behavior of the mice.

Reference

Carola, V., D'Olimpio, S., Brunamonti, E., Mangia, F.& Renzi, P. (2002). Evaluation
of the
elevated plus-maze and open-field tests for the assessment of
anxiety-related behaviour in inbred mice. Behavioural Brain Research; 134, 49–57.