BRIEF REPORT Role of the Mystacial Vibrissae in the Control of Isolation Induced Aggression in the Mouse 1

Adult male Swiss Albino mice were isolated from conspecific contact for 10 days. Removal of the mystacial vibrissae and subsequent anesthesia of the vibrissal pad reduced the number of aggressive social encounters that normally ensue upon the reintroduction of a conspecific. This reduction occurred under conditions in which latencies for initial social contact were essentially unchanged. These results are consistent with previous reports upon the importance of vibrissal integrity in the control of attack behaviors in a variety of other aggressive paradigms, and extend previous observations to a novel species and attack paradigm.