Novelty-Induced Hypophagia

The inhibition of feeding produced by novelty, termed “hyponeophagia,” provides a measure of anxiety-related behavior in rodents that is sensitive to the effects of multiple classes of anxiolytic and anxiogenic treatments and their time-course of action. This chapter provides detailed protocols for assessing hyponeophagia using the novelty-induced hypophagia (NIH) test. The NIH paradigm was developed to improve the practicality, sensitivity, and reliability of measuring hyponeophagia in laboratory mice. Historical background, as well as recommendations regarding materials, setup, experimental design, procedure, analysis, and interpretation are presented.