However, it is not entirely clear how one would interpret such studies. The Bosch study used these particular tests as putative analogs of “depression-like” behavior and “anxiety-like” behavior. In other words, they were used to assess presumed negative emotional states upon removal of the presumably rewarding state of pair bonding. Others have noted that the behavior of floating appears to signify different emotional states and behavioral coping strategies to different observers – i.e., its construct validity is questionable (Petit-Demouliere et al., 2005). In contrast, most of the literature surrounding the comparison of prairie and montane voles has cast them in the role of an animal model of autistic behavior (Hammock and Young, 2006). Finally, as mentioned above, most of the vole research in this area has been at the molecular level.
