Addictive Tendencies in a Mouse Model of Bipolar Disorder
Education Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Advisor(s)
Professor Victoria Heimer-McGinn
Academic Department(s)
Psychology
Symposium Date
2024
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mood disorder characterized by cycles in mood and energy. Individuals with BD are at a higher risk of comorbid substance use disorders (SUD). Studies have shown that a mutation of the ClockΔ19 gene in mice may be a valid rodent model for BD. The ClockΔ19 mouse model presents both face and predictive validity in its parallels to human bipolar disorder such as, disrupted circadian rhythms, hyperactivity, increased risk taking, addictive tendencies, and the impact of lithium on BD symptoms. Additionally, similar to an increase in rates of SUD in humans with BD, these ClockΔ19 mice have shown a greater preference for alcohol and cocaine than wildtype (WT) mice. One assay used to test for addictive tendencies is the sucrose preference test (SPT). The SPT consists of two phases, the baseline and the test. In the test phase, mice can choose to drink water or sucrose water. The findings from this test can answer questions on the presence of increased motivation and addictive tendencies in ClockΔ19 mice. In our lab we examine the differences in preference of sucrose water between male and female wildtype (WT), heterozygous (HET), and homozygous (HOM) mice. In a sample size of 18 mice, we found no significant difference between WT, HET, and HOM mice. These results may have been due to the concentration of sucrose. We used a concentration of 0.03% for 12 mice and 0.01% for 6 mice, both of which produced ceiling effect like results. In the future, we suggest a decreased sucrose concentration to possibly eliminate the ceiling effect and an increase in sample size.
Recommended Citation
Roaix, Breanna; Hernandez, Daniella; Soares, Samantha; and Heimer-McGinn, Victoria R., "Addictive Tendencies in a Mouse Model of Bipolar Disorder" (2024). Student Research Symposium. 15.
https://docs.rwu.edu/studentresearchsymposium/15
Comments
This research was presented at the 2024 Rhode Island Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, held on Friday, July 26, at the University of Rhode Island and supported by RI-INBRE.