Modulating Thyroid Hormone Levels in Adult Mice: Impact on Behavior and Compensatory Brain Changes

Figure 4

Open field tests of treated mice. Open field was performed at two and four months of treatment. (a) The open field arena had two main zones for analysis—the center and periphery. Animals with reduced anxiety and increased exploration spent more time in the center than those with more anxiety. (b) Representative raw data from the open field testing for each group. (c) All treatment groups displayed reduced movement at four months compared with two months. Thyroxine treatment did not have a significant effect on the distance moved at either time point. PTU/Met treatment led to a decrease in the distance moved at both two and four months. (d) There was no difference in the time spent in the center for any treatment group at two months of treatment. After four months, thyroxine-treated mice spent significantly more time in the center. (e) PTU/Met-treated mice spent more time immobile at both two and four months than either the control or thyroxine-treated mice. (f) PTU/Met-treated mice moved at a significantly lower velocity. compared with control. Control = 7 M/6 F, thyroxine = 7 M/6 F, and PTU/Met = 5 M/8 F.

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