Studying anxiety in an animal model in eating disorders

Anxiety-like behaviour in rodents is assessed using various tests. The open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze (EPM), and light-dark box (LDB) measure avoidance of open or illuminated spaces, while the marble burying (MB) test assesses defensive or compulsive-like behaviours. The novelty-suppressed feeding (NSF), food neophobia (FN), and food-baited open field (bOFT) tests evaluate the conflict between feeding drive and novelty avoidance. This study investigated whether performance in one anxiety test predicts outcomes in others in C57BL/6 mice. We analysed seven primary measures, one from each test, and observed limited correlations across tests, indicating limited predictive value between these measures. Principal component analysis (PCA) could not identify a single shared anxiety component. Expanding the analysis to 29 behavioural measures, we found 17 significant correlations after multiple-testing correction: 15 within the same test and only two between different tests. These findings suggest that measures within the same test have greater predictive value among themselves than measures across different anxiety tests. PCA of the 29 measures showed that the first three components explained 46.8% of the variance and were mainly associated with approach, exploration, and safe-zone preference. Rather than finding one strong anxiety component, we found multiple distinct behavioural dimensions, suggesting that these tests capture different aspects of behaviour rather than measuring the same underlying anxiety component. Taken together, performance on one anxiety test may not predict performance on another. However, these tests provide complementary information about mechanisms underlying anxiety and may improve the translational value of preclinical research.