Threat imminence and estimates of agency dictate proactive and reactive defensive behaviors in active place avoidance
Alexandre Chambard, Clémence Quittet, Salomé Boyer, Thibaut Vilalta, Jérémie Naudé, Emmanuel Valjent, Federica Bertaso, Antoine Besnard
This study uses active place avoidance and machine learning to show that defensive behaviors in mice depend on threat imminence, punishment intensity, and behavioral agency, with sex-dependent differences.
bioRxiv · Sep 14, 2026 · PreprintAnimal Behavior & Cognition