Comparison of male and female rats in avoidance of a moving object: more thigmotaxis, hypolocomotion and fear-like reactions in females

Abstract

The paper shows effect of sex in the newly-designed. Enemy avoidance task, in which rats avoid a slowly moving programmable robot.

Female rats showed more anxiety-related measures in the habituation. Actual avoidance of a robot, which was reinforced by mild footshocks, was, however, similar in both sexes.

Keywords

• enemy avoidance task
• moving object
• avoidance
• locomotion