Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40291432›Full record

ArticleBio-protocol2025

The Mouse Social Frailty Index (mSFI): A Standardized Protocol.

Charles W Collinge, Maria Razzoli, Alessandro Bartolomucci

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Bio-protocol, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. How human and animal frailty index studies can inform each other: a brief narrative review.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Social and clinical frailty indices in aging mice: a comparative analysis of longitudinal and cross-sectional designs.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Charles W CollingeDepartment of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Maria RazzoliDepartment of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Alessandro BartolomucciDepartment of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The advent of geroscience engendered the development of approaches to quantify the aging process and estimate biological age on an individual level. Recognizing that declines observed in aging are not only physical but also social led us to develop a mouse Social Frailty Index (mSFI) designed to quantify age-related impairments of social functioning in mice. The mSFI consists of seven behavioral assays that measure essential facets of social behavioral functioning in mice: social communication, social interaction, and social functional ability. The assays that comprise the mSFI are all minimally disruptive, relatively simple to execute, and optimized for compatibility with longitudinal studies utilizing experimental interventions relevant to geroscience. The mSFI is conducted over AM and PM sessions spanning a maximum of 3.5 days, using materials common to most animal facilities. The data for all assays is obtained observationally, manually recorded, and entered into predefined template sheets that automate the computation of the mSFI. We have demonstrated the validity and applicability of the mSFI across multiple laboratory sites and experiments. This index has proven to discriminate between differential trajectories of biological aging driven by sex, progeria, or social stress-relevant contexts. The mSFI represents a novel index to quantify trajectories of biological aging in mice, and its application may help elucidate the social dimensions of the aging process. Key features • The mSFI is a comprehensive assessment for the evaluation of impairment in social behavioral functioning related to aging in mice. • Minimally disruptive, relatively simple, commonly used high-throughput assays of spontaneous social behavior that are optimized for compatibility with longitudinal studies of aging. • The protocol spans AM and PM sessions over 3.5 days maximum; the sequence of individual assays is flexible by design. • The mSFI requires materials common to most animal research facilities. • mSFI application is compatible with most experimental treatments, social behavioral paradigms, longitudinal within-subject designs, and genetically modified mouse models.

Indexed as

Biological ageFrailtyGeroscienceSocial determinants of healthSocial frailty

Identifiers

PMID40291432
PMCPMC12021592

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.