Publications

Strategies to improve survival from surgery for heart valve implantation in sheep

Sheep are a commonly used and validated model for cardiovascular research and, more specifically, for heart valve research. Implanting a heart valve on the arrested heart in sheep is complex and is often complicated by difficulties in restarting the heart,...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Vis, A., Lammers, J. C. A. M., de Vroege, R. et al. 2021. Strategies to improve survival from surgery for heart valve implantation in sheep. Comparative Medicine 71(3), 235-239.

Distinct profiles of 50 kHz vocalizations differentiate between social versus non-social reward approach and consumption

Social animals tend to possess an elaborate vocal communication repertoire, and rats are no exception. Rats utilize ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to communicate information about a wide range of socially relevant cues, as well as information regarding the valence of the...

Year Published: 2021Topics: VocalizationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Seidisarouei, M., van Gurp, S., Pranic, N. M. et al. 2021. Distinct profiles of 50 kHz vocalizations differentiate between social versus non-social reward approach and consumption. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 15, 693698.

Environmental enrichment improves vestibular oculomotor learning in mice

We assessed the behavioral effects of environmental enrichment on contrast sensitivity, reflexive eye movements and on oculomotor learning in mice that were housed in an enriched environment for a period of 3 weeks. Research has shown that a larger cage...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: van der Geest, J. N., Spoor, M., Frens, M. A. 2021. Environmental enrichment improves vestibular oculomotor learning in mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 15, 676416.

A sensitive homecage-based novel object recognition task for rodents

The recognition of novel objects is a common cognitive test for rodents, but current paradigms have limitations, such as low sensitivity, possible odor confounds and stress due to being performed outside of the homecage. We have developed a paradigm that...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Wooden, J. I., Spinetta, M. J., Nguyen, T. et al. 2021. A sensitive homecage-based novel object recognition task for rodents. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 15, 680042.

The urinary hormonal state of cats associated with social interaction with humans

Research to assess the relationship between cats and humans is in a nascent stage. Some studies have assessed the stress status in cats using physiological indicators, such as the cortisol hormone, but have not focused on the social interaction with...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Human-Animal Interaction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Nagasawa, T., Ohta, M., Uchiyama, H. 2021. The urinary hormonal state of cats associated with social interaction with humans. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 680843.

Ontogenetic change in behavioral responses to structural enrichment from fry to parr in juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Enrichment is widely used as a tool for studying how changes in environment affect animal behavior. Here, we report an experimental study investigating if behaviors shaped by stimuli from environmental enrichment depending on the stage animals are exposed to enrichment....

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Salmon

Citation: Alnes, I. B., Jensen, K. H., Skorping, A. et al. 2021. Ontogenetic change in behavioral responses to structural enrichment from fry to parr in juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 638888.

Using the judgment bias task to identify behavioral indicators of affective state: Do eye wrinkles in horses reflect mood?

Identifying and validating behavioral indicators of mood are important for the assessment of animal welfare. Here, we investigated whether horses' eye wrinkle expression in a presumably neutral situation is a measure of mood as assessed in a cognitive judgment bias...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Hintze, S., Schanz, L. 2021. Using the judgment bias task to identify behavioral indicators of affective state: Do eye wrinkles in horses reflect mood? Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 676888.

Crying with laughter: Adapting the tickling protocol to address individual differences among rats in their response to playful handling

In this Opinion paper, we consider whether current methods of tickling overemphasize the use of pinning (Figure 1) to which there may be a wider response variation than commonly acknowledged. We do not dispute that tickling can be a positive...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bombail, V., Brown, S. M., Hammond, T. J. et al. 2021. Crying with laughter: Adapting the tickling protocol to address individual differences among rats in their response to playful handling. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 677872.

Effects of an elevated platform on welfare aspects in male conventional broilers and dual-purpose chickens

To avoid killing day-old male chicks, one possibility is to keep dual-purpose chicken strains. Here, the hens were kept for egg production, and the roosters were kept for meat production. Both sexes had moderate performances compared to the respective hybrid...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Malchow, J., Schrader, L. 2021. Effects of an elevated platform on welfare aspects in male conventional broilers and dual-purpose chickens. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 660602.

Potential pain in fish and decapods: Similar experimental approaches and similar results

I review studies that examined the possibility of pain experience in fish and note how they provided guidance on general methods that could be applied to other animals such as decapod crustaceans. The fish studies initially reported the occurrence of...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Crustacean, Fish, Invertebrate

Citation: Elwood, R. W. 2021. Potential pain in fish and decapods: Similar experimental approaches and similar results. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 631151.