**3. Results**

Capsicum

known as latency of flick [19].

considered supra-spinally integrated [20].

*2.4.4 Assessment of social behaviour*

**Rating Requirements**

*Source: Deacon [23].*

*Nesting behaviour rating scale.*

**Table 1.**

*2.4.5 Assessment of learning and memory*

*2.4.3.2 Hot plate test*

animals were immobilised using tube restrainer (which also allowed free movement of the tail). The distal half of each mouse tail was immersed in water bath (at 50°C) contained in a beaker with 20 s time-out. The duration of time taken for the mice to flick its tail away from the heat of the hot water was measured in seconds. This is

This is a test of thermal nociception, model of short duration stimuli [20]. Each mouse was exposed to a hot surface within a confined glass cage (whose temperature was maintained at 55 ± 0.5°C) for maximum duration of 30 s [21]. The time it took for each mouse to start licking its foot pad was recorded. Higher frequency and duration of paw lick indicate higher pain perception. The time taken for it to jump (latency of jump) was also recorded. The longer the latency of jump, the less pain it felt. These behaviours are the most common measures of pain threshold and are

Nesting behaviour test used by Bender et al. [22] and Deacon [23] as an assay for social behaviour was used in this present study. The test was conducted in individual home cages. In total, 1 h before giving the mice nestling materials, all enrichment objects were removed from the home cages of the mice. About 3.0 g of nestling material was supplied to each mouse in its home cage and allowed for 24 h after which the nests were assessed using the rating scale supplied by Deacon [23] (**Table 1**). This assessment was based on what was seen in the home cages of the mice. Extreme care was taken while observation was carried out, as causing panic to

3 Nestlet mostly shredded, often no identifiable nest site, 50–90% shredded, also, less than 50%

4 An identifiable, but flat nest, more than 90% of the nestlet is torn, the nest is uneven, material is

5 A (near) perfect nest, more than 90% of the nestlet is torn, nest is fairly even, the nest is a crater, with walls higher than the mouse body for more than 50% of its circumference

remains intact, but less than 90% is within a quarter of the cage floor (i.e., not gathered into a

gathered into a nest within a quarter of the cage floor, but the nest is flat with walls higher than

The Morris water maze developed by Morris [24] for assessing visuospatial learning and memory was used in this study. It was made of a circular polypropylene pool which was divided into four quadrants: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast. It measured about 85 cm and 20 cm in diameter and

a mouse could result in the destruction of the nest that was built.

mouse body height for less than 50% of its circumference

1 Nestlet not noticeably touched (90% or more intact)

nest site but spread throughout cage)

2 Nestlet partially torn (50–90% intact)

**176**
