Measuring Preweaning Sensorial andMotor Development in the Mouse

摘要

The immaturity at birth and the slowness of ontogenic processes in mice providethe opportunity to measure rates of development. We describe here 18 measurescovering the sensorial and motor onset from birth to weaning. The measuresare non-invasive, making a follow-up strategy possible. The first basic protocolindicates how to produce mice with known conceptional or chronological age,as the control of the age is a prerequisite to compare rates of developmentin groups of mice. The second basic protocol describes a set of methods foridentifying the pups during a follow-up study. A third basic protocol describestesting newborn mice for the appearance of sensorial and motor abilities ina follow-up design. Taken together, the three protocols make possible thevalidation of potential murine models of interest for understanding humandevelopmental disorders.