Rodent

The time-to-integrate-to-nest test as an indicator of wellbeing in laboratory mice

Minimizing and alleviating pain and distress in laboratory mice without compromising the methodologic integrity of research is a crucial goal. However, current methods for welfare assessment in mice are not well suited to cageside checks. In the present study, we...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Rock, M. L., Rodriguez, K., Karas, A. Z. et al. 2014. The time-to-integrate-to-nest test as an indicator of wellbeing in laboratory mice. JAALAS 53(1), 24-28.

The effect of two different individually ventilated cage systems on anxiety-related behaviour and welfare in two strains of laboratory mouse

The environment in which a laboratory animal is housed can significantly influence its behaviour and welfare, acting as a potential confounding factor for those studies in which it is utilised. This study investigated the impact of two Individually Ventilated Cage...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Burman, O., Buccarello, L., Redaelli, V. et al. 2014. The effect of two different individually ventilated cage systems on anxiety-related behaviour and welfare in two strains of laboratory mouse. Physiology & Behavior 124, 92-99.

Environmental enrichment and social interaction improve cognitive function and decrease reactive oxidative species in normal adult mice

Environmental stimulation and increased social interactions stimulate cognitive performance, while decrease in these parameters can exacerbate cognitive decline as a function of illness, injury, or age. We examined the impact of environmental stimulation and social interactions on cognitive performance in...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Doulames, V., Lee, S., Shea, T. B. 2014. Environmental enrichment and social interaction improve cognitive function and decrease reactive oxidative species in normal adult mice. International Journal of Neuroscience 124(5), 369-376.

Effects of housing condition and cage change on characteristics of sleep in mice

Although human subjects are widely used to study sleep and sleep disorders, animals have been invaluable in developing our understanding of the physiology of sleep and underlying mechanisms of sleep disorders. Environmental stimuli are likely to modify sleep in both...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Febinger, H.Y., George, A., Priestley, J. et al. 2014. Effects of housing condition and cage change on characteristics of sleep in mice. JAALAS 53(1), 29-37.

Fighting in the home cage: Agonistic encounters and effects on neurobiological markers within the social decision-making network of house mice (Mus musculus)

Inbred strains of mice, such as C57Bl/6, have become preferred animal models for neurobehavioral studies. A main goal in creating inbred lines is to reduce the effects of individual genetic variation on observed phenotypes. Most studies use only males, and...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Greenberg, G. D., Howerton, C. L., Trainor, B. C. 2014. Fighting in the home cage: Agonistic encounters and effects on neurobiological markers within the social decision-making network of house mice (Mus musculus). Neuroscience Letters 566, 151-155.

Untangling the influences of voluntary running, environmental complexity, social housing and stress on adult hippocampal neurogenesis

Environmental enrichment (EE) exerts powerful effects on brain physiology, and is widely used as an experimental and therapeutic tool. Typical EE paradigms are multifactorial, incorporating elements of physical exercise, environmental complexity, social interactions and stress, however the specific contributions of...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gregoire, C., Bonenfant, D., Le Nguyen, A. et al. 2014. Untangling the influences of voluntary running, environmental complexity, social housing and stress on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. PLOS ONE 9(1), e86237.

The effects of environmental enrichment on depressive and anxiety-relevant behaviors in socially isolated prairie voles

Social isolation is associated with depression, anxiety and negative health outcomes. Environmental enrichment, including environmental and cognitive stimulation with inanimate objects and opportunities for physical exercise, may be an effective strategy to include in treatment paradigms for affective disorders as...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Other Rodent, Rodent

Citation: Grippo, A. J., Ihm, E., Wardwell, J. et al. 2014. The effects of environmental enrichment on depressive and anxiety-relevant behaviors in socially isolated prairie voles. Psychosomatic Medicine 76(4), 277-284.

Tickling during adolescence alters fear-related and cognitive behaviors in rats after prolonged isolation

Social interactions during adolescence are important especially for neuronal development and behavior. We recently showed that positive emotions induced by repeated tickling could modulate fear-related behaviors and sympatho-adrenal stress responses. In the present study, we examined whether tickling during early...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal Interaction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hori, M., Yamada, K., Ohnishi, J. et al. 2014. Tickling during adolescence alters fear-related and cognitive behaviors in rats after prolonged isolation. Physiology & Behavior 131, 62-67.

The impact of social isolation on immunological parameters in rats

In various toxicological studies, single housing of rodents is preferred to standardize for regulatory purposes. However, housing conditions can have severe, often underestimated, impact on results in toxicological examinations. As different husbandry conditions have been shown to impose stress, we...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Krügel, U., Fischer, J., Bauer, K. et al. 2014. The impact of social isolation on immunological parameters in rats. Archives of Toxicology 88(3), 853-855.

Mixed housing with DBA/2 mice induces stress in C57BL/6 mice: Implications for interventions based on social enrichment

Several behavioral interventions, based on social enrichment and observational learning are applied in treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the mechanism of such modulatory effect and the safety of applied methods on individuals involved in social support need further investigation. We...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Kulesskaya, N., Karpova, N. N., Ma, L. et al. 2014. Mixed housing with DBA/2 mice induces stress in C57BL/6 mice: Implications for interventions based on social enrichment. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 8, 257.