Environmental Enrichment

To enrich or not to enrich: providing shelter does not complicate handling of laboratory mice

It is argued that when laboratory mice can routinely retreat in sheltering objects when humans are present, they do not habituate to humans and continue to shy away, thereby increasing the time needed for husbandry and testing procedures. ... We...

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

Citation: Moons, C., Van Wiele, P., ?dberg, F. O. 2004. To enrich or not to enrich: providing shelter does not complicate handling of laboratory mice. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 43(4), 18-21.

Enriched environment influences adrenocortical response to immune challenge and glutamate receptor gene expression in rat hippocampus

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether enriched rearingcould alter the stress response induced by repeated immune challenge and to investigate the influence of EE [environmental enrichment] and immune challenge on glutamate receptor gene expression in the hippocampus....

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

Citation: Mlynarik, M., Johansson, B. B., Jezova, D. 2004. Enriched environment influences adrenocortical response to immune challenge and glutamate receptor gene expression in rat hippocampus. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1018(1), 273-280.

Effect of environmental enrichment on stress related systems in rats

Environmental enrichment leads to pronounced changes in neuroendocrine regulation, including larger adrenals and increased adrenocortical function, which are so far considered to be indication of chronic stress.Animal living in groups of 10 in enriched cages had higher resting corticosterone concentrations...

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

Citation: Moncek, F., Duncko, R., Johansson, B. B. et al. 2004. Effect of environmental enrichment on stress related systems in rats. Journal of Neuroendocrinology 16, 423-431.

Refinement of routine procedures: Can environmental enrichment reduce the stress response of laboratory mice

Female mice housed in trios in enriched cages and handled daily reacted with less anxiety to procedures than female mice housed singly in barren cages and handled only when necessary.

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

Citation: Meijer, M. K., Kramer, K., Remie, R. et al. 2004. Refinement of routine procedures: Can environmental enrichment reduce the stress response of laboratory mice. Proceedings of the 4th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences - Alternatives to Laboratory Animals [ATLA] 32(Supplement), 97 (Abstract).

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).

Environmental enrichment options for laboratory rats and mice

Environmental enrichment is the alteration of animals' microenvironment to provide them with the opportunity to perfrom species-specific behaviors that we perceive as positive, while reducing abnormal behaviors. [p. 39] Several interesting products are now available commercially, and I will review...

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

Citation: Key, D. 2004. Environmental enrichment options for laboratory rats and mice. Lab Animal 33(2), 39-44.

Gene expression profiling in the intact and injured brain following environmental enrichment

The larger number of genes responsive to enrichment in the contralesional cortex (59 gene regulations) as compared to the analogous area (i.e. sensorimotor cortex) of the intact brain (17 gene regulations) likely reflects increased susceptibility for plastic changes due to...

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

Citation: Keyvani, K., Sachser, N., Witte, O. W. et al. 2004. Gene expression profiling in the intact and injured brain followingenvironmental enrichment. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology 63, 598-609.

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.

Effects of environmental enrichment on behavior and dopamine transporter function in medial prefrontal cortex in adult rats prenatally treated with cocaine

It was suggested that environmental enrichment attenuates the behavioral and neurochemical effects of prenatal cocaine.

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

Citation: Neugebauer, N. M., Cunningham, S. T., Zhu, J. et al. 2004. Effects of environmental enrichment on behavior and dopamine transporter function in medial prefrontal cortex in adult rats prenatally treated with cocaine. Brain research 153, 213-223.

E2 = 3R + 2Q: Calculating species-appropriate environmental enrichment

Species appropriate environmental enrichment should be provided to improve both animal welfare and the quality of research data. For research animals, species-appropriate Environmental Enrichment (E2) can be considered as a function of the 3 R's (3R) and the Quantity and...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 2004. E2 = 3R + 2Q: Calculating species-appropriate environmental enrichment. Proceedings of the International Congress on Applied Ethology, 132 (Abstract).