Relative Uniformity of Locomotor Activity of Mice Treated with β-β′-Iminodipropionitrile (IDPN)

A series of experiments were conducted to determine the relative efficiency of IDPN as a possible tool in standardizing locomotor activity in mice. A comparison of the uniformity of activity of IDPN mice was made with the activity of mice receiving saline. Frequency distribution studies showed that with IDPN mice the S.D. of activity measurements was 10 per cent or less of the mean in 90 per cent of the runs, whereas with the normal control mice the S.D. ranged between 15 and 35 per cent of the mean in 81 per cent of the runs. In the groups tested, activity counts over a 30-min. period dropped off between 1.0 and 8.3 per cent with the IDPN mice and between 22.8 and 30.7 per cent with the normal mice.