Models & Assays

The Novelty Suppressed Feeding test (NSF), which is based on hyponeophagia (a phenomenon where exposure to a novel environment suppresses feeding behavior), has been used extensively to assess anxiety-related behavior in mice. The NSF test is an effective behavioral paradigm for evaluating the efficacy of treatments with drugs such as anxiolytics and antidepressants, as their administration result in a decrease in the time (latency) needed by animal to initiate feeding in the novel, anxiogenic environment.

To validate the efficacy of the NSF test, our research team performed studies on C57BL/6 female and male mice (7-9 weeks old) using a varying doses of diazepam as an anxiolytic substance. The results clearly demonstrated efficacy of diazepam (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) in reducing anxiety-like behavior in both female and male mice observed 30 minutes post-administration in the NSF test.