Behavioral Phenotypic Properties of a Natural Occurring Rat Model of Congenital Stationary Night Blindness With Cacna1f Mutation

Cacna1f gene mutation could lead to incomplete congenital stationary night blindness (iCSNB) disease. The CSNB-like phenotype rat is a spontaneous rat model caused by Cacna1f gene mutation. The present study explored the phenotypic properties of behavior performance in CSNB rats further. The vision-related behaviors of CSNB rats were assessed with a Morris water maze (MWM), passive avoidance tests, and open-field test. Motor ability was evaluated with a rotarod test and a wire hang test, and mechanical pain and thermalgia were used to evaluate sensory system function. Electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded to evaluate the function of the retina. The vision-related results showed that longer latencies of escape and reduced probe trial in MWM for CSNB rats. There were more errors in avoidance test; CSNB rats were more active in the open field and presented a different pattern of exploration. The locomotor-related behaviors showed shorter falling latencies in the rotarod test and shorter gripping time in CSNB rats. And mechanical thresholds of pain increased in CSNB rats. The ERGs indicated that both the amplitude and latency of rod and cone systems were impaired in the CSNB rats. In summary, Cacna1f gene mutation changed the performance of various behaviors in the CSNB rat aside from vision-related phenotype. Cacna1f gene might play a role in a wide range of responses in the organism. These results confirm the importance of a comprehensive profile for understanding the behavior phenotype of Cacna1f gene mutation in CSNB rat.