Rat

Animal Research Review Panel [ARRP] Guideline 20: Guidelines for the Housing of Rats in Scientific Institutions – DRAFT

Very useful, practical guidelines for the species-appropriate care and housing of rats.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: NewSouthWales [NSW] Agriculture 2004. Animal Research Review Panel [ARRP] Guideline 20: Guidelines for the Housing of Rats in Scientific Institutions - DRAFT. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, NSW.

Effects of environmental enrichment on behavior and dopamine transporter function in medial prefrontal cortex in adult rats prenatally treated with cocaine

It was suggested that environmental enrichment attenuates the behavioral and neurochemical effects of prenatal cocaine.

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Neugebauer, N. M., Cunningham, S. T., Zhu, J. et al. 2004. Effects of environmental enrichment on behavior and dopamine transporter function in medial prefrontal cortex in adult rats prenatally treated with cocaine. Brain research 153, 213-223.

Environmental enrichment during adolescence reverses the effects of prenatal stress on anxiety-related behaviour and stress in rats

Environmental enrichment during adolescence reverses the effects of prenatal stress on anxiety-related behavior.

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Morley-Fletcher, S., Rea, M., Laviola, G. 2004. Environmental enrichment during adolescence reverses the effects of prenatal stress on anxiety-related behaviour and stress in rats. Animal Welfare 13(S), 251 (Abstract).

Rats socially-reared and full fed learned an autoshaping task, showing less levels of fear-like behaviour than fasted or singly-reared rats

During the learning of instrumental tasks, rats are usually fasted to increase reinforced learning. However, fasting produces several undesirable side effects. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that control rats, i.e. full-fed and group-reared rats, will...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Molina-Hernandez, M., T?llez-Alc?ntara, N. P. 2004. Rats socially-reared and full fed learned an autoshaping task, showing less levels of fear-like behaviour than fasted or singly-reared rats. Laboratory Animals 38, 236-245.

Enriched environment influences adrenocortical response to immune challenge and glutamate receptor gene expression in rat hippocampus

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether enriched rearingcould alter the stress response induced by repeated immune challenge and to investigate the influence of EE [environmental enrichment] and immune challenge on glutamate receptor gene expression in the hippocampus....

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Mlynarik, M., Johansson, B. B., Jezova, D. 2004. Enriched environment influences adrenocortical response to immune challenge and glutamate receptor gene expression in rat hippocampus. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1018(1), 273-280.

Effect of environmental enrichment on stress related systems in rats

Environmental enrichment leads to pronounced changes in neuroendocrine regulation, including larger adrenals and increased adrenocortical function, which are so far considered to be indication of chronic stress.Animal living in groups of 10 in enriched cages had higher resting corticosterone concentrations...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Moncek, F., Duncko, R., Johansson, B. B. et al. 2004. Effect of environmental enrichment on stress related systems in rats. Journal of Neuroendocrinology 16, 423-431.

Non-invasively assessing disturbance and stress in laboratory rats by scoring chromodacryorrhoea

Chromodacryorrhoea scoring [porphyrin staining] has real potential for non-invasive stress assessment in rats to monitor subtle changes in housing and husbandry.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Mason, G., Wilson, D., Hampton, C. et al. 2004. Non-invasively assessing disturbance and stress in laboratory rats by scoring chromodacryorrhoea. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals [ATLA] 32(Supplement), 153-159.

Partner’s stress status influences social buffering effects in rats

The relationship between a social partner's stress status and the social buffering effect was examined in adult male Wistar rats. Fear-conditioned rats were exposed to the same context along with either a shocked or nonshocked conspecific partner. Changes in body...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kiyokawa, Y., Kikusui, T., Takeuchi, Y. et al. 2004. Partner's stress status influences social buffering effects in rats. Behavioral Neuroscience 118, 798-804.

Environmental enrichment options for laboratory rats and mice

Environmental enrichment is the alteration of animals' microenvironment to provide them with the opportunity to perfrom species-specific behaviors that we perceive as positive, while reducing abnormal behaviors. [p. 39] Several interesting products are now available commercially, and I will review...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Key, D. 2004. Environmental enrichment options for laboratory rats and mice. Lab Animal 33(2), 39-44.

Music improves dopaminergic neurotransmission: demonstration based on the effect of music on blood pressure regulation

The mechanism by which music modifies brain function is not clear. Clinical findings indicate that music reduces blood pressure in various patients. We investigated the effect of music on blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Previous studies indicated that...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Sutoo, D., Akiyama, K. 2004. Music improves dopaminergic neurotransmission: demonstration based on the effect of music on blood pressure regulation. Brain Research 1016, 255-262.