Rodent anxiety tests gave different answers for different behavioral measures
A network meta-analysis found that comparisons among common tests depended on the behavior measured, with no detected differences for rearing.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review compared behavioral tests used to study anxiety-like behavior in rodents. Tests differed for distance traveled and fecal pellet counts, while rearing showed no detected differences. These results concern how animal behavior is measured; they do not identify a test for human anxiety or establish that the tests measure the same underlying experience.
This brief is based on the abstract. Some tests appeared in very few studies, and the abstract provides no effect sizes, confidence intervals or assessment timing to judge the size and precision of differences.
What the researchers compared
The researchers compared studies using several common rodent tests and ranked the tests for particular outcomes. Their shared measures were distance traveled, fecal pellet counts and rearing, rather than a single overall anxiety score.
Where the tests differed
The open-field test ranked less favorably for distance traveled than the elevated plus maze and light-dark box. Fecal pellet counts differed between light-dark box and open-field tests; the abstract did not report the direction or size of that difference.
The original publication
Challenges in cross-test comparison of anxiety-related outcomes in rodents: A network meta-analysis.
Yıldırım DD, Çevik ÖS, Horata E et al.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41093178
- Record checked
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