Publications

An international perspective on ethics approval in animal behaviour and welfare research

Ethics assessment is essential in studies that involve animals as subjects, which includes research on animal behaviour and welfare. Although ethics review mechanisms within institutions are long established in many regions, processes may be non-uniform across different cultures, institutions, and...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Olsson, I. A. S., Nielsen, B. L., Camerlink, I. 2022. An international perspective on ethics approval in animal behaviour and welfare research. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 253, 105658.

Enrichment with classical music enhances affiliative behaviours in bottlenose dolphin

Environmental enrichment is a crucial element for the promotion of welfare of animals kept under human care. While a large variety of environmental enrichments has been proposed and studied for terrestrial animals, including a growing area represented by acoustical enrichment...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Guérineau, C., Lõoke, M., Ganassin, G. et al. 2022. Enrichment with classical music enhances affiliative behaviours in bottlenose dolphin. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 254, 105696.

A deep transfer learning model for head pose estimation in rhesus macaques during cognitive tasks: Towards a nonrestraint noninvasive 3Rs approach

Head orientation is a measure of attention used in behavioral psychological research with non-human primates. It is used across a broad range of disciplines and settings, from the field to the laboratory. Field methods are time consuming with risk of...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Bethell, E. J., Khan, W., Hussain, A. 2022. A deep transfer learning model for head pose estimation in rhesus macaques during cognitive tasks: Towards a nonrestraint noninvasive 3Rs approach. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 255, 105708.

Evaluation of different types of enrichment – their usage and effect on home cage behavior in female mice

Numerous studies ascertained positive effects of enriched environments on the well-being of laboratory animals including behavioral, physiological and neurochemical parameters. Conversely, such conclusions imply impaired animal welfare and health in barren husbandry conditions. Moreover, inappropriate housing of laboratory animals may...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Hobbiesiefken, U., Mieske, P., Lewejohann, L. et al. 2021. Evaluation of different types of enrichment - their usage and effect on home cage behavior in female mice. PLOS ONE 16(12), e0261876.

Sky after 30 years: A brief biography of three biomedical research chimpanzees in Japan

This article describes the strategies employed by Kumamoto Sanctuary in Japan to integrate 3 retired chimpanzees – who each spent 30 years singly housed in a biomedical facility – with the sanctuary's other residents.

Year Published: 2022Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Hirata, S. 2022. Sky after 30 years: A brief biography of three biomedical research chimpanzees in Japan. Primates 63(2), 105–108.

Improving well-being and survival in the 6-OHDA lesion model of Parkinson´s disease in mice: Literature review and step-by-step protocol

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative motor disorder and primarily affects movement control but also a range of non-motor functions. With unknown etiology and lack of cure, much research is dedicated to unravel pathological mechanisms and improve clinical...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Guillaumin, A., Vlcek, B., Wallén-Mackenzie, Å. 2022. Improving well-being and survival in the 6-OHDA lesion model of Parkinson´s disease in mice: Literature review and step-by-step protocol. Scandinavian Journal of Animal Science 48(1), 1-21.

Non-invasive sampling of water-borne hormones demonstrates individual consistency of the cortisol response to stress in laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Glucocorticoid (GC) stress hormones are well-known for their impact on phenotypic traits ranging from immune function to behaviour and cognition. For that reason, consistent aspects of an individual's physiological stress response (i.e. GC responsiveness) can predict major elements of life-history...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Midttun, H., Øverli, Ø., Tudorache, C. et al. 2022. Non-invasive sampling of water-borne hormones demonstrates individual consistency of the cortisol response to stress in laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio). Scientific Reports 12(1) 6278.

Pet-directed speech improves horses’ attention toward humans

In a recent experiment, we showed that horses are sensitive to pet-directed speech (PDS), a kind of speech used to talk to companion animals that is characterized by high pitch and wide pitch variations. When talked to in PDS rather...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Jardat, P., Calandreau, L., Ferreira, V. et al. 2022. Pet-directed speech improves horses' attention toward humans. Scientific Reports 12(1), 4297.

Simultaneous assessment of spontaneous cage activity and voluntary wheel running in group-housed mice

Small animal models are frequently used to improve our understanding of the molecular and biological signaling pathways underlying the beneficial effects of physical activity and exercise. Unfortunately, when running wheels are employed, mice and rats are often kept single-housed to...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Reuser, A., Wenzel, K., Felix, S. B. et al. 2022. Simultaneous assessment of spontaneous cage activity and voluntary wheel running in group-housed mice. Scientific Reports 12(1), 4444.

Music modulates emotional responses in growing pigs

There is a lack of clarity on whether pigs can emotionally respond to musical stimulation and whether that response is related to music structure. Qualitative Behavioral Assessment (QBA) was used to evaluate effects of 16 distinct musical pieces (in terms...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Zapata Cardona, J., Ceballos, M. C., Tarazona Morales, A. M. et al. 2022. Music modulates emotional responses in growing pigs. Scientific Reports 12(1), 3382.