Hippocampal RNA-Seq Data and Behavioral Data from Rats Selectively-Bred to Show High or Low Levels of Locomotor Activity in a Novel Environment (bred High Responders vs. bred Low Responders)

Using selective breeding, we have produced two rat lines with highly contrasting heritable behaviors: bred Low Responders (bLR) are extremely inhibited and anxious in a novel environment, whereas bred High Responders (bHR) are exploratory and sensation-seeking. These traits map onto temperamental extremes predictive of internalizing vs. externalizing psychiatric disorders in humans and can model two divergent paths to drug abuse. To elucidate gene expression underlying these behavioral extremes, bHRxbLR were bred to produce a F0-F1-F2 cross. We then measured exploratory locomotion, anxiety-like behavior, and sensitivity to reward cues (Pavlovian Conditioned Approach) and performed hippocampal RNA sequencing in both F0s (n=24, n=6/phenotype/sex) and F2s (n=250, n=125/sex). The data included in this GEO upload is the data from the F0s from this experiment.