Rat

Effects of cage type and gnawing blocks on weight gain, organ weights and open-field behaviour inWistar rats

Two separate experiments were conducted to study the environmental enrichment value of aspen gnawing blocks in solid bottom cages with bedding '(SBC) and in grid floor cages without bedding (GFC), and the effects of housing environments on the physiology and...

Year Published: 1998Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Eskola, S., Kaliste-Korhonen, E. 1998. Effects of cage type and gnawing blocks on weight gain, organ weights and open-field behaviour inWistar rats. Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science 25(4), 180-193.

Housing and welfare in laboratory rats: The welfare implications of social isolation and social contact among females

Social deprivation seems to have a less adverse impact on females than on males. In particular, singletons showed a less marked increase in self-directed behaviours, particularly tail chasing, and a smaller reduction in undirected movement around the cage. This smaller...

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hurst, J. L., Barnard, C. J., Nevison, C. M. et al. 1998. Housing and welfare in laboratory rats: The welfare implications of social isolation and social contact among females. Animal Welfare 7, 121-136.

Social deprivation of neonatal, adolescent and adult rats has distinct neurochemical and behavioural consequences

This review examines the consequences of social deprivation on brain chemistry and behavior on rats. Although social deprivation produces wide-ranging behavioral and neurochemical effects, it appears that these effects are determined by a number of factors, the most critical factor...

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hall, F. S. 1998. Social deprivation of neonatal, adolescent and adult rats has distinct neurochemical and behavioural consequences. Critical Reviews in Neurobiology 12, 129-162.

Environmental enrichment results in higher levels of nerve growth factor mRNA in the rat visual cortex and hippocampus

Rats housed in groups in a stimulus-rich environment for 30 days had significantly higher levels of NGF mRNA than rats housed individually in single cages without stimulus-enrichment.

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Torasdotter, M., Metsis, M., Henriksson, B. G. et al. 1998. Environmental enrichment results in higher levels of nerve growth factor mRNA in the rat visual cortex and hippocampus. Behavioral Brain Research 93, 83-90.

Comparison of effects of restraint, cage transportation, anaesthesia and repeated bleeding on plamsa glucose levels between mice and rats

Mice showed a fairly consistent rise in levels of blood glucose if unaccustomed to [blood collection procedure] handling or if the cages were transported to an adjacent room. The same procedures when performed in rats seemed to have small or...

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Tabata, H., Kitamura, T., Nagamatsu, N. 1998. Comparison of effects of restraint, cage transportation, anaesthesia and repeated bleeding on plamsa glucose levels between mice and rats. Laboratory Animals 32, 143-148.

Effect of individual versus group caging on the incidence of pituitary and Leydig cell tumors in F344 rats: proposed mechanism

Housing rats in groups seems to be less stressful for the animals than housing them alone.

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Nyska, A., Leininger, J. R., Maronpot, R. R. 1998. Effect of individual versus group caging on the incidence of pituitary and Leydig cell tumors in F344 rats: proposed mechanism. Medical Hypotheses 50, 525-529.

Investigation into the preference of laboratory rats for nest-boxes and nesting materials

Nest-boxes of opaque or semi-opaque materials were preferred to transparent ones and those with enclosed corners were preferred to nest-boxes with open ends. ... A new nest-box was designed, incorporating features apparently attractive to the animals. ... Rats were exposed...

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Manser, C. E., Broom, D. M., Overend, P. et al. 1998a. Investigation into the preference of laboratory rats for nest-boxes and nesting materials. Laboratory Animals 32, 23-35.

Operant studies to determine the strength of preference in laboratory rats for nest-boxes and nesting material

It was shown that the rats would carry out more work to reach a nest-box, with or without nesting material, than to reach an empty cage.

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Manser, C. E., Broom, D. M., Overend, P. et al. 1998b. Operant studies to determine the strength of preference in laboratory rats for nest-boxes and nesting material. Laboratory Animals 32, 36-41.

Anticipation of play elicits high-frequency ultrasonic vocalizations in young rats

The authors provide initial documentation that juvenile rats emit short, high-frequency ultrasonic vocalizations (high USVs, approximately 55 kHz) during rough-and-tumble play. In an observational study, they further observe that these vocalizations both correlate with and predict appetitive components of the...

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Knutson, B., Burgdorf, J., Panksepp, J. 1998. Anticipation of play elicits high-frequency ultrasonic vocalizations in young rats. Journal of Comparative Psychology 112, 65-73.

Increased number and size of dendritic spines in ipsilateral barrel field cortex following unilateral whisker trimming in postnatal rats

The barrel field area of the primary somatosensory cortex of rodents is a fertile ground for investigating experience-dependent plasticity and its mechanisms, because the neurons in its layer IV are distributed in groups (barrels) which correspond somatotopically to the vibrissae...

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Vees, A. M., Micheava, K. D., Beaulieu, C. et al. 1998. Increased number and size of dendritic spines in ipsilateral barrel field cortex following unilateral whisker trimming in postnatal rats. Journal of Comparative Neurology 400, 110-124.