Marble Burying test in mice

  • Presentation


    The Marble Burying test is used to record the number of marbles buried by mice placed in a novel environment.
    Mice, which are placed individually in a cage, bury glass marbles that are present in the cage. This test has some predictive value for anti-depressant and/or anxiolytic drugs. It has been shown to be sensitive to benzodiazepines as these compounds reduce burying behaviour when compared to vehicle-treated control mice, without inducing changes in locomotor activity. Results have shown that in addition to benzodiazepines, this test system is sensitive to the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs).

  • Compound testing


    Compound testing addresses the effect of acute treatment on the total number of buried marbles. Investigation of the effect of subchronic treatment is also possible.

  • Endpoints


    Number of marble buried (n)
Diazepam model

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