Rat

Seminatural environments for rodent behavioral testing: A representative design improving animal welfare and enhancing replicability

The low replicability of scientific studies has become an important issue. One possible cause is low representativeness of the experimental design employed. Already in the 1950's, Egon Brunswick pointed out that experimental setups ideally should be based on a random...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hernández-Arteaga, E., Ågmo, A. 2023. Seminatural environments for rodent behavioral testing: A representative design improving animal welfare and enhancing replicability. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1192213.

Home-cage behavior is impacted by stress exposure in rats

Being social animals, rats exhibit a range of social behaviors that help them build social bonds and maintain group cohesion. Behavior is influenced by multiple factors, including stress exposure, and the expression of the impact of stress on both social...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Eraslan, E., Castelhano-Carlos, M. J., Amorim, L. et al. 2023. Home-cage behavior is impacted by stress exposure in rats. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1195011.

Novel protocol to establish the myocardial infarction model in rats using a combination of medetomidine-midazolam-butorphanol (MMB) and atipamezole

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most common cardiac problems causing deaths in humans. Previously validated anesthetic agents used in MI model establishment are currently controversial with severe restrictions because of ethical concerns. The combination between medetomidine, midazolam, and...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Farag, A., Mandour, A. S., Hamabe, L. et al. 2022. Novel protocol to establish the myocardial infarction model in rats using a combination of medetomidine-midazolam-butorphanol (MMB) and atipamezole. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 1064836.

A review on experimental surgical models and anesthetic protocols of heart failure in rats

Heart failure (HF) is a serious health and economic burden worldwide, and its prevalence is continuously increasing. Current medications effectively moderate the progression of symptoms, and there is a need for novel preventative and reparative treatments. The development of novel...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Farag, A., Mandour, A. S., Hendawy, H. et al. 2023. A review on experimental surgical models and anesthetic protocols of heart failure in rats. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10, 1103229.

Camera-based respiration monitoring of unconstrained rodents

Animal research has always been crucial for various medical and scientific breakthroughs, providing information on disease mechanisms, genetic predisposition to diseases, and pharmacological treatment. However, the use of animals in medical research is a source of great controversy and ongoing...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Breuer, L., Mösch, L., Kunczik, J. et al. 2023. Camera-based respiration monitoring of unconstrained rodents. Animals 13(12), 1901.

Rat’s response to a novelty and increased complexity of the environment resulting from the introduction of movable vs

Most animals, including rats, show a preference for more complex environments. This is demonstrated particularly well when complexity increases due to the addition of new elements to the environment. The aim of the study was to investigate the reaction to...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Chrzanowska, A., Modlinska, K., Goncikowska, K. et al. 2022. Rat's response to a novelty and increased complexity of the environment resulting from the introduction of movable vs. stationary objects in the free exploration test. PLOS ONE 17(12), e0279006.

Animal welfare considerations when conducting OECD test guideline inhalation and toxicokinetic studies for nanomaterials

The OECD test guidelines for animal experiments play an important role in evaluating the chemical hazards. Animal tests performed using OECD guidelines, especially when the good laboratory practice (GLP) principle is applied, reduce the duplication of toxicity testing and ensure...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: All/General, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Chung, Y. H., Gulumian, M., Pleus, R. C. et al. 2022. Animal welfare considerations when conducting OECD test guideline inhalation and toxicokinetic studies for nanomaterials. Animals 12(23), 3305.

Review of rat (Rattus norvegicus), Mouse (Mus musculus), Guinea pig (Cavia procellus), and rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) indicators for welfare assessment

The monitoring and assessment of animals is important for their health and welfare. The appropriate selection of multiple, validated, and feasible welfare assessment indicators is required to effectively identify compromises or improvements to animal welfare. Animal welfare indicators can be...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Cohen, S., Ho, C. 2023. Review of rat (Rattus norvegicus), Mouse (Mus musculus), Guinea pig (Cavia procellus), and rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) indicators for welfare assessment. Animals 13(13), 2167.

Enriched environment causes epigenetic changes in hippocampus and improves long-term cognitive function in sepsis

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by an inappropriate host response to infection. The presence of oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators in sepsis leads to dysregulated gene expression, leading to a hyperinflammatory response. Environmental conditions play an...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Córneo, E., Michels, M., Abatti, M. et al. 2022. Enriched environment causes epigenetic changes in hippocampus and improves long-term cognitive function in sepsis. Scientific Reports 12(1), 11529.

Sex differences in 50 kHz call subtypes emitted during tickling-induced playful behaviour in rats

‘Tickling' induces positive affective states in laboratory rats as evidenced by the production of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalisations (USVs), although this has mostly been investigated in males. Juvenile rats emit distinctive 50-kHz USV subtypes. Frequency-modulated (FM) 50-kHz USVs are thought to...

Year Published: 2022Topics: VocalizationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Tivey, E. K. L., Martin, J. E., Brown, S. M. et al. 2022. Sex differences in 50 kHz call subtypes emitted during tickling-induced playful behaviour in rats. Scientific Reports 12(1), 15323.