Rodent

Stress response in mice to a stressful situation experienced by another cage mate

We have just finished a study of the effects on cage mates when balb/c mice are handled/weighed or subjected to 1 hour restraint stress and then returned to the cage. We did this once daily for 14 days. The cage...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Einstein, R. 2004. Stress response in mice to a stressful situation experienced by another cage mate. Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (electronic discussion group), November 24, 2004.

Transition of animal numbers used for experiments and recent trends in Japan

A total of 5 million animals were used in 1998. More than 90% of the whole animals represented in those numbers were rodents, such as mice and rats.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: All/General, Rodent

Citation: Matsuda, Y., Kurosawa, T. M. 2004. Transition of animal numbers used for experiments and recent trends in Japan. PProceedings of the 4th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences - Alternatives to Laboratory Animals [ATLA] 32(Supplement), 127 (Abstract).

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.

Effect of environmental enrichment on the reproductive performance of FVB breeding mice

The results suggest that while the enrichment devices [transparent dome with or without activity wheel] .. provided for species-ypical behavior, their use is associated with longer inter-birth intervals and smaller litters in FVB breeding mice.

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental Enrichment, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Martin, J., Nichols, D., Jenson, R. et al. 2004. Effect of environmental enrichment on the reproductive performance of FVB breeding mice. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 149(Abstract).

Effects of environmental enrichment on males of a docile inbred strain of mice

Environmental enrichment is intended to improve the welfare of laboratory animals. However, regarding male mice, numerous studies indicate an increase in aggressive behavior due to cage structuring. On the one hand, this might be a problem concerning animal welfare. On...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Marashi, V., Barnekow, A., Sachser, N. 2004. Effects of environmental enrichment on males of a docile inbred strain of mice. Physiology and Behavior 82, 765-776.

Behavioural activity of laboratory mice in standard and furnished cages with a running wheel

Stereotypies such as bar circling, jumping and bar wheeling were only seen in the standard cages. More than half of the exploration/locomotion in furnished cages was wheel running, indicating that the running wheel is an essential component if an increase...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Olsson, I. A. S., Sherwin, C. M. 2004. Behavioural activity of laboratory mice in standard and furnished cages with a running wheel. Proceedings of the International Congress on Applied Ethology, 241 (Abstract).

Social environment affects peripheral oxytocin and cortisol during stress responses in guinea-pigs

Cortisol was elevated in individually housed animals compared to male-female pairs. The stress-induced behavioral immobility response after exposure to a noise stressor was significantly reduced in preferred males and to a lesser extent in their female partners.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Machatschke, I. H., Wallner, B., Schams, D. et al. 2004. Social environment affects peripheral oxytocin and cortisol during stress responses in guinea-pigs. Ethology 110, 161-176.

Effect of pre- and postweaning housing on the behaviour of laboratory mice

It took longer to catch mice in [with nestbox, tissue nesting material, chewblock and carboard tube] Furnished (10. +/-0.53 s) than in Standard (8.7 +/- 0.36 s) cages.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Olsson, A. S., Marques, J. M. S., Ferreira, C. S. A. et al. 2004. Effect of pre- and postweaning housing on the behaviour of laboratory mice. Proceedings of the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations [FELASA] Symposium, 202 (Abstract).

The assessment of bar chewing as an escape behaviour in laboratory mice

Results confirm that bar chewing reflects an attempt to escape the cage.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lewis, R. S., Hurst, J. L. 2004. The assessment of bar chewing as an escape behaviour in laboratory mice. Animal Behaviour 13, 19-25.

Environmental enrichment results in cortical and subcortical changes in levels of synaptophysin and PSD-95 proteins

Experience-dependent plasticity is thought to involve selective change in pre-existing brain circuits, involving synaptic plasticity. One model for looking at experience-dependent plasticity is environmental enrichment (EE), where animals are exposed to a complex novel environment. Previous studies using electron microscopy...

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

Citation: Nithianantharajah, J., Levis, H., Murphy, M. 2004. Environmental enrichment results in cortical and subcortical changes in levels of synaptophysin and PSD-95 proteins. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 81, 200-210.