Abstract
In previous studies, isolated mice are found to be extremely more aggressive than group-reared mice. In most of those studies, however, the pairings of the group-reared mice were randomly determined, without attention to individuals' ranks in their home cages. In this study, the effect of isolation was analyzed by comparing isolated mice with dominants of group-reared mice. In experiment 1 the group-reared mice were randomly chosen as in previous studies. Isolated mice were significantly more aggressive, but the pairings of the group-reared mice were found to be all dominant vs. subordinate. In experiment 2, the group-reared dominants encountered unfamiliar dominants in an unfamiliar place. Dominant mice were found to be less aggressive than the isolated mice. This result was inconsistent with the “territorial dominant hypothesis” on the hyperaggressiveness of the isolated mice. Sequential analysis of behavior clarified that the isolated mice had a sequential pattern quite different from the group-reared mice, and provided an illustrative figure for the “escalation hypothesis”. The lack of aggression in the group-reared mice, however, left a question about the sequence similarity of aggressive behavior in isolaed and group-reared mice.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Anton, A.H., R.P. Schwartz & S. Kramer 1968 Catecholamines and behavior in isolated and grouped mice.J. Psychiat. Res. 6: 211–220.
Baer, H. 1971 Long-term isolation stress and its effects on drug response in rodents.Lab. Anim. Sci. 21(3): 341–349.
Benton, D., J.F. Goldsmith, L. Gamal-El-Din, P.F. Brain & F.H. Hucklebridge 1978 Adrenal activity in isolated mice and mice of different social status.Physiol. Behav. 20: 459–464.
Brain, P. 1975 What does individual housing mean to a mouse?Life Sciences 16: 187–200.
Cairns, R.B. & J.S. Nakelski 1971 On fighting in mice: ontogenetic and experiential determinants.J. Comp. Physio. Psychol. 74(3) 354–364.
Cairns, R.B. & S.D. Scholz 1973 Fighting in mice: dyadic escalation and what is learned.J. Comp. Physio. Psychol. 85(3): 540–550.
Chance, M.R.A. 1962 An interpretation of some agonistic postures: the role of “cut-off” acts and postures.Symposium No. 8, Zoo. Soc. Lond.: 71–89.
Crawley, J.N., W.M. Schleidt & J.F. Contrera 1975 Does social environment decrease propensity to fight in male mice?Behav. Biol. 15: 73–83.
Ely, D.L. & J.P. Henry 1974 Effects of prolonged social deprivation on murine behavior patterns, blood pressure, and adrenal weight.J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 87(4): 733–740.
Essman, W.B. 1966 The development of activity differences in isolated and aggregated mice.Anim. Behav. 14: 406–409.
Fox, M.W. 1986 Laboratory animal husbandry. State University of New York Press, Albany.
Goldsmith, J.F., P.F. Brain & D. Benton 1976 Effects of age at differential housing and the duration of individual housing/grouping on intermale fighting behavior and adrenocortical activity in TO strain mice.Aggres. Behav. 2: 307–323.
Goldsmith, J.F., P.F. Brain & D. Benton 1978 Effects of the duration of individual or group housing on behavioural and adrenocortical reactivity in male mice.Physiol. Behav. 21: 757–760.
Kahn, M.W. 1954 Infantile experience and mature aggressive behavior of mice: some maternal influences.J. Genet. Psychol. 84: 65–75.
King, J.A. 1957 Relationships between early social experience and adult aggressive behavior in inbred mice.J. Genet. Psychol. 90: 151–166.
Koyama, S. 1985 The effects of social deprivation on the social behavior of mice (Mus musculus).Ann. Anim. Psychol. 35(2): 79–90. (in Japanese with English abstract)
Mainardi, D., M. Mainardi, S. Parmigiani & A. Pasquali 1977 Relationship between aggressiveness due to isolation and social status in the house mouse.Accademia Nazionale Dei Lincei, Serie VIII, Vol.LXIII: 120–125.
Parmigiani, S., D. Mainardi & A. Pasquali 1981 A comparison of aggressiveness in dominant subordinate and isolated house mice. In: Brain, P.F. & D. Benton (eds)The biology of aggression. Sythoff & Noordhoff, Netherlands.
Ramirez, J.M., T. Nakaya & Y. Habu 1980 Physiological models for several types of aggression.Japanese Psychol. Rev. 23(2): 183–207. (in Japanese with English abstract)
Schwartz, R., A.M. Sackler & A.S. Weltman 1974 Adrenal relationships to aggressiveness in isolated female mice.Experientia 30: 192–200.
Stanislaw, H. & P.F. Brain 1983 The systemic response of male mice to differential housing: a path-analytical approach.Behav. Proc. 8: 165–175.
Valzelli, L. 1973 The “isolation syndrome” in mice.Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 31: 305–320.
Weltman, A.S., A.M. Sackler, R. Schwartz & H. Owens 1968 Effects of isolation stress on female albino mice.Lab. Anim. Care 18(4): 426–435.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Koyama, S. Isolation effect in mice (Mus musculus): (i) Does it really induce aggression?. J. Ethol. 11, 117–130 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02350045
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02350045