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An elevated plus-maze in mixed reality for studying human anxiety-related behavior.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:A dearth of laboratory tests to study actual human approach-avoidance behavior has complicated translational research on anxiety. The elevated plus-maze (EPM) is the gold standard to assess approach-avoidance behavior in rodents. METHODS:Here, we translated the EPM to humans using mixed reality through a combination of virtual and real-world elements. In two validation studies, we observed participants' anxiety on a behavioral, physiological, and subjective level. RESULTS:Participants reported higher anxiety on open arms, avoided open arms, and showed an activation of endogenous stress systems. Participants' with high anxiety exhibited higher avoidance. Moreover, open arm avoidance was moderately predicted by participants' acrophobia and sensation seeking, with opposing influences. In a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled experiment, GABAergic stimulation decreased avoidance of open arms while alpha-2-adrenergic antagonism increased avoidance. CONCLUSION:These findings demonstrate cross-species validity of open arm avoidance as a translational measure of anxiety. We thus introduce the first ecologically valid assay to track actual human approach-avoidance behavior under laboratory conditions.

SUBMITTER: Biedermann SV

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5740602 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An elevated plus-maze in mixed reality for studying human anxiety-related behavior.

Biedermann Sarah V SV Biedermann Daniel G DG Wenzlaff Frederike F Kurjak Tim T Nouri Sawis S Auer Matthias K MK Wiedemann Klaus K Briken Peer P Haaker Jan J Lonsdorf Tina B TB Fuss Johannes J

BMC biology 20171221 1

<h4>Background</h4>A dearth of laboratory tests to study actual human approach-avoidance behavior has complicated translational research on anxiety. The elevated plus-maze (EPM) is the gold standard to assess approach-avoidance behavior in rodents.<h4>Methods</h4>Here, we translated the EPM to humans using mixed reality through a combination of virtual and real-world elements. In two validation studies, we observed participants' anxiety on a behavioral, physiological, and subjective level.<h4>Re ...[more]

PMID: 29268740

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Project description:AimThe Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) are an inbred polygenic model of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), which, as their non-epileptic control (NEC) rats, are derived from Wistar rats. While the validity of GAERS in reproducing absence seizures is well established, its use as a model for CAE psychiatric comorbidities has been subject to conflicting findings. Differences in colonies, experimental procedures, and the use of diverse controls from different breeders may account for these disparities. Therefore, in this study, we compared GAERS, NEC, and Wistar bred in the same animal facility with commercially available Wistar (Cm Wistar) as a third control.MethodsWe performed hole board (HB) and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests that were analyzed with standard quantitative and T-pattern analysis in male, age-matched Cm Wistar and GAERS, NEC, and Wistar, bred under the same conditions, to rule out the influence of different housing factors and provide extra information on the structure of anxiety-like behavior of GAERS rats.ResultsQuantitative analysis showed that GAERS and NEC had similar low anxiety-like behavior when compared to Cm Wistar but not to Wistar rats, although a higher hole-focused exploration was revealed in NEC. T-pattern analysis showed that GAERS, NEC, and Wistar had a similar anxiety status, whereas GAERS and NEC exhibited major differences with Cm Wistar but not Wistar rats. EPM results indicated that GAERS and NEC also have similar low anxiety compared to Cm Wistar and/or Wistar rats. Nevertheless, the analysis of the T-pattern containing open-arm entry showed GAERS and Wistar to be less anxious than NEC and Cm Wistar rats.ConclusionTo summarize, comorbid anxiety may not be present in male GAERS rats. This study also highlighted the importance of including a control Wistar group bred under the same conditions when evaluating their behavior, as using Wistar rats from commercial breeders can lead to misleading results.

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An elevated plus-maze in mixed reality for studying human anxiety-related behavior.

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An elevated plus-maze in mixed reality for studying human anxiety-related behavior.

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