Know your rodent: Impact of rodent strain on learning, memory, cognition and animal models of brain disease

The choice of rodent strain for neuroscientific research is often considered a secondary factor when selecting rat or mouse models for functional studies of the brain. The predominant backstrain for transgenic mice is the C57BL/6 mouse strain, which is also the most widely used strain in non-transgenic experiments. However, this mouse strain develops progressive deafness beginning in early postnatal life and also exhibits a variety of ocular dysfunctions that may influence behavioral outcomes. Other mouse strains display marked differences in learning propensity, emotionality, and cognitive performance, as well as variability in both the behavioral symptoms and mechanistic underpinnings of disease models. A similar pattern is observed in rats, whereby, for example, Albino strains exhibit differences in learning compared to pigmented rat strains, that may be associated with differences in excitation-inhibition balance derives from altered GABAergic regulation.In recent years, comparative studies examining learning and memory, cognition, and the manifestation of disease-related characteristics in rodent models have highlighted the importance of careful strain selection. These studies have shown that fundamental differences exist between strains in hippocampal synaptic plasticity, neuronal oscillations, anxiety-like behavior, social behavior, and cognitive performance. Genetic background may also influence the outcome of studies conducted in transgenic rodent models. Taken together, these findings underscore the necessity of understanding strain-specific responses for the accurate interpretation of experimental data and for improving reproducibility in both basic and translational research on brain function and dysfunction.This Research Topic aims to compile the latest findings investigating strain-dependent effects in mouse and rat models, including both interstrain comparisons and intrastrain variability.We encourage contributions that address strain-dependent variations in learning, memory, and cognition. Research and review articles on the abovementioned subjects, as well as reports on novel methodological strategies to disambiguate both intra and interstrain-dependent differences are highly welcome. Examples of the focus areas of the articles are the following:• Comparative aspects of behavior, including learning & memory, cognition, sensory perception, emotionality and resilience• Anatomical studies• Methodological innovations in elucidating behavioral outcomes• Scrutiny of strain-dependent differences in the outcomes/generation of brain disease models, or transgenic studies• Assessment of strain-dependent cellular/molecular mechanisms related to synaptic plasticity, neuronal information transfer, ensemble generation related to learning and memory formation• Mechanistic studies of strain-dependent differences• Strain-dependent differences in neuromodulation Topic editors: Hardy Hagena, Hirotaka Nagai Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79292/know-your-rodent-impact-of-rodent-strain-on-learning-memory-cognition-and-animal-models-of-brain-disease