Aggressive social interaction in mice genetically selected for blood pressure extremes

Abstract

Mice genetically selected for blood pressure extremes were compared with regard to aggressive social behavior. Aggressor mice from the high and low blood-pressure lines were pitted against mice from the high and low lines (targets). High blood-pressure mice were less aggressive socially than low blood-pressure mice. The low blood-pressure mice exhibited the highest social aggression scores when pitted against high blood-pressure targets. Examination of extreme blood-pressure groups chosen from the segregating F 2 generation resulting from crosses of the high and low lines indicated that aggressive social behavior and blood pressure were influenced by the same genes or linked genes.