Pup Retrieval Assay in Mecp2 Mice

All behavioral experiments were performed in adult female mice (10–12 weeks old). They were bred and maintained on a 12/12 h light/dark cycle (lights on at 7 A.M.) and received food ad libitum. Genotypes used were CBA/CaJ, C57BL/6J, Mecp2^Heterozygous (B6.129P2(C)-Mecp2^tm1.1Bird/J) and Mecp2^WT-siblings (Guy et al., 2001 (link)) (The Jackson Laboratory). Ten to twelve week old Mecp2^Heterozygous mice in this study do not show overt motor or jaw/mouth phenotypes that would preclude performing the pup retrieval assay (Krishnan et al., 2017 (link)). All procedures were conducted in accordance with the National Institutes of Health’s Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and approved by the University of Tennessee-Knoxville Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.