Rodent

Automated radial 8-arm maze: A voluntary and stress-free behavior test to assess spatial learning and memory in mice

The radial arm maze (RAM) is a common behavioral test to assess spatial working and reference memory in mice. However, conventional RAM experiments require a substantial degree of manual handling and animals are usually subjected to prolonged periods of food...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Mei, J., Kohler, J., Winter, Y. et al. 2020. Automated radial 8-arm maze: A voluntary and stress-free behavior test to assess spatial learning and memory in mice. Behavioural Brain Research 381, 112352.

Aversion to desflurane and isoflurane in Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Carbon dioxide and isoflurane are widely used for killing rats, yet may not truly achieve “euthanasia”, because they elicit aversion. The inhalant anesthetic desflurane is faster acting than isoflurane, representing a potential refinement. Using an aversion-avoidance paradigm, 24 rats were...

Year Published: 2020Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Frost, K., Shah, M., Leung , V. S. Y. et al. 2020. Aversion to desflurane and isoflurane in Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus). Animals 10(6), 950.

Benefits of tunnel handling persist after repeated restraint, injection and anaesthesia

Millions of mice are used every year for scientific research, representing the majority of scientific procedures conducted on animals. The standard method used to pick up laboratory mice for general husbandry and experimental procedures is known as tail handling and...

Year Published: 2020Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Henderson, L. J., Dani, B., Serrano, E. M. N., et al. 2020. Benefits of tunnel handling persist after repeated restraint, injection and anaesthesia. Scientific Reports 10(1), 14562.

Body weight algorithm predicts humane endpoint in an intracranial rat glioma model

Humane endpoint determination is fundamental in animal experimentation. Despite commonly accepted endpoint criteria for intracranial tumour models (20% body weight loss and deteriorated clinical score) some animals still die before being euthanized in current research. We here systematically evaluated other...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane EndpointAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Helgers, S., Talbot, S. R., Riedesel, A. K. et al. 2020. Body weight algorithm predicts humane endpoint in an intracranial rat glioma model. Scientific Reports 10, 9020.

Effects of repetitive gentle handling of male C57BL/6NCrl mice on comparative behavioural test results

Mice are the most commonly used laboratory animals for studying diseases, behaviour, and pharmacology. Behavioural experiment battery aids in evaluating abnormal behaviour in mice. During behavioural experiments, mice frequently experience human contact. However, the effects of repeated handling on mice...

Year Published: 2020Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Ueno, H., Takahashi, Y., Suemitsu, S. et al. 2020. Effects of repetitive gentle handling of male C57BL/6NCrl mice on comparative behavioural test results. Scientific Reports 10(1), 3509.

Effects of trio and pair breeding of mice on environmental parameters and nasal pathology and their implications for cage change frequency

According to the Guide, cage change frequencies must be considered when cage density requirements are exceeded. We monitored ammonia, carbon dioxide, cage wetness, health status, and breeding parameters of trio and pair breeding cages containing CD1 mice in ventilated and...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & Management, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Carpenter, K. C., Thurston, S. E., Hoenerhoff, M. J. et al. 2020. Effects of trio and pair breeding of mice on environmental parameters and nasal pathology and their implications for cage change frequency. JAALAS 59(3), 288–297.

Effects of weaning age and housing conditions on phenotypic differences in mice

Poor reproducibility is considered a serious problem in laboratory animal research, with important scientific, economic, and ethical implications. One possible source of conflicting findings in laboratory animal research are environmental differences between animal facilities combined with rigorous environmental standardization within...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Bailoo, J. D., Voelkl, B., Varholick, J. et al. 2020. Effects of weaning age and housing conditions on phenotypic differences in mice. Scientific Reports 10, 11684.

Eliminating light-at-night contamination during a lab animal facility renovation

Relocating laboratory animal research from one animal facility room to another in advance of major renovations can be a daunting task for scientists and animal care personnel alike. This is especially so regarding controlled lighting and the elimination of light-at-night...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Other Rodent, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Dupepe, L. M., Dauchy, R. T., McAndrew, D. et al. 2020. Eliminating light-at-night contamination during a lab animal facility renovation. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(5) (September/October), 60-62.

Endpoint in ovarian cancer xenograft model predicted by nighttime motion metrics

Despite several therapeutics showing promise in nonclinical studies, survival from ovarian cancer remains poor. New technologies are urgently needed to optimize the translation of nonclinical studies into clinical successes. While most nonclinical settings utilize subjective measures of physiological parameters, which...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane EndpointAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Nwagwu, C. D., Defensor, E., Jiang, M. Y. et al. 2020. Endpoint in ovarian cancer xenograft model predicted by nighttime motion metrics. Lab Animal 49(8), 227–232.

Enriched environment effect on lipopolysaccharide-induced spatial learning, memory impairment and hippocampal inflammatory cytokine levels in male rats

Neuro-inflammation is responsible for cognitive impairments and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate the enriched environment (EE) effect on learning and memory impairment as well as on pro-inflammatory cytokines changes induced by lipopolysaccharide...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Keymoradzadeh, A., Hedayati Ch, M., Abedinzade, M. et al. 2020. Enriched environment effect on lipopolysaccharide-induced spatial learning, memory impairment and hippocampal inflammatory cytokine levels in male rats. Behavioural Brain Research 394, 112814.