1
|
Bayne K. Environmental enrichment and mouse models: Current perspectives. Animal Model Exp Med 2018; 1:82-90. [PMID: 30891552 PMCID: PMC6388067 DOI: 10.1002/ame2.12015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The provision of environmental enrichment to numerous species of laboratory animals is generally considered routine husbandry. However, mouse enrichment has proven to be very complex due to the often contradictory outcomes (animal health and welfare, variability in scientific data, etc.) associated with strain, age of the animal when enrichment is provided, gender of the animal, scientific use of the animal, and other housing attributes. While this has led to some suggesting that mice should not be provided enrichment, more recently opinion is trending toward acknowledging that enrichment actually normalizes the animal and data obtained from a mouse living in a barren environment are likely not to be representative or even reliable. This article offers an overview of the types of impact enrichment can have on various strains of mice and demonstrates that enrichment not only has a role in mouse husbandry, but also can lead to new areas of scientific enquiry in a number of different fields.
Collapse
|
2
|
The presence of home-cage stimuli attenuates spontaneous-alternation deficits in rats with septal lesions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.3758/bf03326781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
3
|
Kumar R, Macey PM, Cross RL, Woo MA, Yan-Go FL, Harper RM. Neural alterations associated with anxiety symptoms in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Depress Anxiety 2009; 26:480-91. [PMID: 18828142 PMCID: PMC4041684 DOI: 10.1002/da.20531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuropsychological comorbidities, including anxiety symptoms, accompany obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); structural and functional brain alterations also occur in the syndrome. The objective was to determine whether OSA patients expressing anxiety symptoms show injury in specific brain sites. METHODS Magnetic resonance T2-relaxometry was performed in 46 OSA and 66 control subjects. Anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI); subjects with BAI scores >9 were classified anxious. Whole brain T2-relaxation maps were compared between anxious and nonanxious groups using analysis of covariance (covariates, age and gender). RESULTS Sixteen OSA and seven control subjects showed anxiety symptoms, and 30 OSA and 59 controls were nonanxious. Significantly higher T2-relaxation values, indicating tissue injury, appeared in anxious OSA versus nonanxious OSA subjects in subgenu, anterior, and mid-cingulate, ventral medial prefrontal and bilateral insular cortices, hippocampus extending to amygdala and temporal, and bilateral parietal cortices. Brain injury emerged in anxious OSA versus nonanxious controls in bilateral insular cortices, caudate nuclei, anterior fornix, anterior thalamus, internal capsule, mid-hippocampus, dorsotemporal, dorsofrontal, ventral medial prefrontal, and parietal cortices. CONCLUSIONS Anxious OSA subjects showed injury in brain areas regulating emotion, with several regions lying outside structures affected by OSA alone, suggesting additional injurious processes in anxious OSA subjects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajesh Kumar
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
| | - Paul M. Macey
- School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
,Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Rebecca L. Cross
- School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mary A. Woo
- School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Frisca L. Yan-Go
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
| | - Ronald M. Harper
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
,Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
,Correspondence to: Department of Neurobiology David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA University of California at Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 90095-1763, USA Tel: 310-825-5303 Fax: 310-825-2224
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Fox C, Merali Z, Harrison C. Therapeutic and protective effect of environmental enrichment against psychogenic and neurogenic stress. Behav Brain Res 2006; 175:1-8. [PMID: 16970997 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2006.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2006] [Revised: 08/12/2006] [Accepted: 08/15/2006] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) has beneficial neurobiological, physiological and behavioral effects. The purpose of the present paper is to review the animal research literature pertaining to the impact of EE on altering physiological and behavioral anxiety outcomes. Evidence supports the view that EE attenuates responses to certain anxiety provoking situations, and that these effects persist over time. Specifically, EE attenuates behavioral anxiety-type responses and endocrine responses mediated via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis evoked by psychogenic and/or neurogenic stressors. EE is not only able to protect from excessive anxiety in response to a present stressor, but also attenuates the enduring or persistent effects engendered by past psychogenic stressor(s) such as prenatal stress or neonatal maternal separation. It is noteworthy that the protective effects of EE are particularly apparent in animals that are highly anxious or when the task is highly challenging for the subject. Various mechanisms of action of EE have been proposed, ranging from behavioral/cognitive to cellular/molecular processes. A pronounced variability in the enrichment protocols used by different investigators may account for some of the inconsistencies noted in the effect of EE on behavioral (e.g. anxiety) and endocrine (e.g. plasma corticosterone) responses. Although the occasional inconsistencies highlight the need for further research, a preponderance of the animal research data indicates that EE exerts therapeutic and protective (anxiolytic) effects against (a) impending threat, (b) enduring effects of past stressor(s) and (c) subsequent stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cosette Fox
- Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), AFRL/HEPA Branch, 2800 Q Street, Building 824, OH 45433-7022, United States
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bayne K. Potential for Unintended Consequences of Environmental Enrihment for Laboratory Animals and Research Results. ILAR J 2005; 46:129-39. [PMID: 15775022 DOI: 10.1093/ilar.46.2.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many aspects of the research animal's housing environment are controlled for quality and/or standardization. Of recent interest is the potential for environmental enrichment to have unexpected consequences such as unintended harm to the animal, or the introduction of variability into a study that may confound the experimental data. The effects of enrichment provided to nonhuman primates, rodents, and rabbits are described to illustrate that the effects can be numerous and may vary by strain and/or species. Examples of parameters measured where no change is detected are also included because this information provides an important counterpoint to studies that demonstrate an effect. In addition, this review of effects and noneffects serves as a reminder that the provision of enrichment should be evaluated in the context of the health of the animal and research goals on a case-by-case basis. It should also be kept in mind that the effects produced by enrichment are similar to those of other components of the animal's environment. Although it is unlikely that every possible environmental variable can be controlled both within and among research institutions, more detailed disclosure of the living environment of the subject animals in publications will allow for a better comparison of the findings and contribute to the broader knowledge base of the effects of enrichment.
Collapse
|
6
|
Young KA, Berry ML, Mahaffey CL, Saionz JR, Hawes NL, Chang B, Zheng QY, Smith RS, Bronson RT, Nelson RJ, Simpson EM. Fierce: a new mouse deletion of Nr2e1; violent behaviour and ocular abnormalities are background-dependent. Behav Brain Res 2002; 132:145-58. [PMID: 11997145 PMCID: PMC2862907 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(01)00413-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
A new spontaneous mouse mutation named fierce (frc) is deleted for the nuclear receptor Nr2e1 gene (also known as Tlx, mouse homolog of Drosophila tailless). The fierce mutation is genetically and phenotypically similar to Nr2e1 targeted mutations previously studied on segregating genetic backgrounds. However, we have characterized the fierce brain, eye, and behavioural phenotypes on three defined genetic backgrounds (C57BL/6J, 129P3/JEms, and B6129F1). The data revealed many novel and background-dependent phenotypic characteristics. Whereas abnormalities in brain development, hypoplasia of cerebrum and olfactory lobes, were consistent on all three backgrounds, our novel finding of enlarged ventricles in 100% and overt hydrocephalus in up to 30% of fierce mice were unique to the C57BL/6J background. Developmental eye abnormalities were also background-dependent with B6129F1-frc mice having less severe thinning of optic layers and less affected electroretinogram responses. Impaired regression of hyaloid vessels was observed in all backgrounds. Furthermore, retinal vessels were deficient in size and number in 129P3/JEms-frc and B6129F1-frc mice but almost entirely absent in C57BL/6J-frc mice. We present the first standardized behavioural tests conducted on Nr2e1 mutant mice and show that C57BL/6J-frc and B6129F1-frc mice have deficits in sensorimotor assays and are hyperaggressive in both sexes and backgrounds. However, C57BL/6J-frc mice were significantly more aggressive than B6129F1-frc mice. Overall, this extensive characterization of the fierce mutation is essential to its application for the study of behavioural, and brain and eye developmental disorders. In addition, the background-dependent differences revealed will enable the identification of important genetic modifiers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A. Young
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Bo Chang
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | | | | | - Roderick T. Bronson
- USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Randy J. Nelson
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Elizabeth M. Simpson
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Research Institute for Children's and Women's Health, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Monaghan AP, Bock D, Gass P, Schwäger A, Wolfer DP, Lipp HP, Schütz G. Defective limbic system in mice lacking the tailless gene. Nature 1997; 390:515-7. [PMID: 9394001 DOI: 10.1038/37364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The gene tailless is a member of the superfamily of genes that encode transcription factors of the ligand-activated nuclear receptor type, and is expressed in the invertebrate and vertebrate brain. In mice, its transcripts are restricted to the periventricular zone of the forebrain, the site of origin of neurons and glia. Here we use homologous recombination to generate mice that lack a functional tailless protein. Homozygous mutant mice are viable at birth, indicating that tailless is not required for prenatal survival; however, adult mutant mice show a reduction in the size of rhinencephalic and limbic structures, including the olfactory, infrarhinal and entorhinal cortex, amygdala and dentate gyrus. Both male and female mice are more aggressive than usual and females lack normal maternal instincts. These animals therefore enable a molecular approach to be taken towards understanding the genetic architecture and morphogenesis of the forebrain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A P Monaghan
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell I, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Will B, Kelche C. Environmental approaches to recovery of function from brain damage: a review of animal studies (1981 to 1991). ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 1992; 325:79-103. [PMID: 1290344 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4615-3420-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- B Will
- Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie et Biologie des Comportements UPR 419 du CNRS, Centre de Neurochimie, Strasbourg, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Dalrymple-Alford J, Kelche C, Eclancher F, Will B. Preoperative enrichment and behavioral recovery in rats with septal lesions. BEHAVIORAL AND NEURAL BIOLOGY 1988; 49:361-73. [PMID: 3408447 DOI: 10.1016/s0163-1047(88)90370-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
To assess the behavioral effects of preoperative differential housing male rats were placed in either enriched or isolated environments at weaning prior to receiving either sham operations or septal lesions when 57 days of age. Rats with septal lesions showed reduced habituation of ambulation and initially made fewer rears in an empty open field but made more object-contacts coupled with a lack of habituation in the object-filled field. Septal rats also showed severe impairments when tested in a 12-arm radial maze with 7 arms baited and 5 arms unbaited. Preoperative enrichment did not significantly affect these lesion-induced changes. Nevertheless, enrichment significantly lowered ambulation (but did not affect habituation) in the open field and increased the number of manipulatory relative to nonmanipulatory contacts. However, preoperatively enriched septal rats showed a deficit in spontaneous alternation (45%) in contrast to the high levels (83%) shown by intact enriched rats, whereas both intact and septal isolated rats showed similar levels of spontaneous alternation (68%). These results conflict with earlier reports that preoperative enrichment "protects" rats against the deficits produced by septal lesions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Dalrymple-Alford
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie des Comportements, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Behavioural Effects of Preoperative and Postoperative Differential Housing in Rats with Brain Lesions: A Review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1985. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4684-5003-3_45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
|
11
|
Engellenner WJ, Goodlett CR, Burright RG, Donovick PJ. Environmental enrichment and restriction: effects on reactivity, exploration and maze learning in mice with septal lesions. Physiol Behav 1982; 29:885-93. [PMID: 7156226 DOI: 10.1016/0031-9384(82)90339-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
|