Environmental Enrichment Facilitates Anxiety in Conflict-Based Tests but Inhibits Predator Threat-Induced Defensive Behaviour in Male Mice

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Tayllon dos Anjos-Garcia ◽  
Alexandre Kanashiro ◽  
Alline Cristina de Campos ◽  
Norberto Cysne Coimbra
Keyword(s):  
Panic Attack ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Defensive Strategy ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
Marble Burying ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
Predator Threat

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Environmental enrichment (EE) is a useful and sophisticated tool that improves rodents’ well-being by stimulating social behaviour and cognitive, motor, and sensory functions. Exposure to EE induces neuroplasticity in different brain areas, including the limbic system, which has been implicated in the control of anxiety and fear. However, the effects of EE on ethologically relevant naturalistic behaviours, such as those displayed by prey in the presence of predators, remain largely unexplored. <b><i>Material and Methods:</i></b> In the present study, we investigated anxiety- and panic attack-like behaviours in a predator (cat)-prey confrontation paradigm and compared them with those in classical assays, such as the elevated plus-maze (EPM), marble-burying, and open field tests (OFTs), using C57BL/6J male mice housed in enriched or standard environments for 6 weeks. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We observed that EE exposure caused enhancement of the levels of anxiety-like behaviours in the EPM and OFTs, increasing risk assessment (an anxiety-related response), and decreasing escape (a panic attack-like response) behaviours during exposure to the predator versus prey confrontation paradigm. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Taken together, our findings suggest that enriched external environments can modify the processing of fear- and anxiety-related stimuli in dangerous situations, changing the decision-making defensive strategy.

Neuropharmacological Characterization of Dioclea altissima Seed Lectin (DAL) in Mice: Evidence of Anxiolytic-like Effect Mediated by Serotonergic, GABAergic Receptors and NO Pathway

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (31) ◽  
pp. 3895-3904
Author(s):  
João R.C. Araújo ◽  
Adriana R. Campos ◽  
Marina de Barros M.V. Damasceno ◽  
Sacha A.A.R. Santos ◽  
Maria K.A. Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Elevated Plus Maze ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Plant Lectins ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
Marble Burying ◽  
Gabaergic Receptors ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Hole Board

Background: Plant lectins have shown promising biological activities in the central nervous system (CNS). Objective: This study evaluated the effect of DAL, a lectin isolated from the seeds of the Dioclea altissima species, having binding affinity to D-glucose or D-mannose residues, on mice behavior. Methods: Mice (n=6/group) were treated (i.p.) with DAL (0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg/kg) or vehicle and subjected to several tests (open field/OFT, marble-burying/MBT, hole-board/HBT, elevated plus maze/PMT, tail suspension/ TST, forced swimming/FST or rotarod/RRT). Pizotifen, cyproheptadine, flumazenil, L-NAME, 7-NI, Larginine or yohimbine were administered 15 min before DAL (0.5 mg/kg) and the animals were evaluated on PMT. It was also verified whether the DAL effect depended on its structural integrity and ability to interact with carbohydrates. Results: The results showed there were no neurobehavioral changes in the mice at the RRT, FST and locomotion in the OFT. DAL (0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg/kg) increased the behavior of grooming and rearing in the OFT, head dips in the HBT, pedalling in the TST and decreased the number of marbles hidden in the MBT. In the PMT, DAL (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg) and Diazepam increased the frequency of entries in the open arms and the time of permanence in the open arms without affecting the locomotor activity. The effect of DAL was dependent on carbohydrate interaction and protein structure integrity and it prevented by pizotifen, cyproheptadine, flumazenil, L-NAME and 7-NI, but not by L-arginine or yohimbine. Conclusion: DAL was found to have an anxiolytic-like effect mediated by the 5-HT and GABAergic receptors and NO pathway.

scholarly journals Involvement of 5-HT1AReceptors in the Anxiolytic-Like Effects of Quercitrin and Evidence of the Involvement of the Monoaminergic System

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Li ◽  
Qian-tong Liu ◽  
Yi Chen ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
Jin-li Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receptor Antagonist ◽  
Elevated Plus Maze ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Repeated Treatment ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
Way 100635 ◽  
Marble Burying ◽  
Monoaminergic System ◽  
Light Dark Box

Quercitrin is a well-known flavonoid that is contained in Flos Albiziae, which has been used for the treatment of anxiety. The present study investigated the anxiolytic-like effects of quercitrin in experimental models of anxiety. Compared with the control group, repeated treatment with quercitrin (5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for seven days significantly increased the percentage of entries into and time spent on the open arms of the elevated plus maze. In the light/dark box test, quercitrin exerted an anxiolytic-like effect at 5 and 10 mg/kg. In the marble-burying test, quercitrin (5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg) also exerted an anxiolytic-like effect. Furthermore, quercitrin did not affect spontaneous locomotor activity. The anxiolytic-like effects of quercitrin in the elevated plus maze and light/dark box test were blocked by the serotonin-1A (5-hydroxytryptamine-1A (5-HT1A)) receptor antagonist WAY-100635 (3.0 mg/kg, i.p.) but not by theγ-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptor antagonist flumazenil (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.). The levels of brain monoamines (5-HT and dopamine) and their metabolites (5-hydroxy-3-indoleacetic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and homovanillic acid) were decreased after quercitrin treatment. These data suggest that the anxiolytic-like effects of quercitrin might be mediated by 5-HT1Areceptors but not by benzodiazepine site of GABAAreceptors. The results of the neurochemical studies suggest that these effects are mediated by modulation of the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters.

scholarly journals Environmental Enrichment of Nonhuman Primates, Dogs and Rabbits Used in Toxicology Studies

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 132-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn A.L. Bayne
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Laboratory Animals ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Scientific Enterprise ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Animal Care

The increasing emphasis on the provision of environmental enrichment to laboratory animals, vis-à-vis the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NRC 1996), and a potential forthcoming policy from the USDA on the subject, can be difficult to accommodate in a toxicology research environment. A summary will be provided of current requirements and recommendations. Then, strategies for meeting regulatory requirements will be described for non-rodent animals used in toxicology research. These strategies will address methods of both social enrichment, such as pair or group housing, as well as non-social enrichment, such as cage furniture, food enrichments, and toys. In addition, the value of positive interactions with staff (e.g., through training paradigms or socialization programs) will also be discussed. Apparent in the discussion of these strategies will be an overarching recognition of the necessity to avoid introducing confounding variables into the research project and to avoid compromising animal health. The roles of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the attending veterinarian in helping scientists balance animal well-being, the scientific enterprise and the regulatory environment will be described.

scholarly journals Central activities of hydroalcoholic extract from Lafoensia pacari A. St.-Hil. stem bark

2010 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablinny Moreira Galdino ◽  
Marcus Vinícius Mariano Nascimento ◽  
Fábio Borges de Sousa ◽  
Reginaldo Nassar Ferreira ◽  
José Realino de Paula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Plus Maze ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Sleep Time ◽  
Stem Bark ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
Hydroalcoholic Extract ◽  
Sleeping Time ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
Immobility Time ◽  
Time Test

Lafoensia pacari A. St.-Hil. can be found from Amapá to Rio Grande do Sul states, and also in Paraguay and Bolivia. It is popularly known as pacari or mangava-brava and is used to promote weight loss, as an anti-thermal or tonic, to treat gastritis, ulcers, scarring, itching, discouragement, and cancer. In the open field tests, the hydroalcoholic extract from L. pacari stem bark (HEP) decreased the number of rearings, number of invaded squares, and increased immobility time compared to control animals. In the pentobarbital-induced sleep time test, HEP decreased latency time to sleep and increased sleeping time. In the rota-rod test, no changes in the studied parameters were observed. In the elevated plus maze, HEP increased the percentage time and percentage entries in the open arms, indicating that this extract exerts an anxiolytic-like activity.

scholarly journals Physiological Parameters of Pigs Raised with and without Environmental Enrichment

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
Carlos Syllas Monteiro Luz ◽  
Leonardo Atta Farias ◽  
José Luiz Leonardo Araujo Pimenta ◽  
Joisiane Da Silva Santos ◽  
Richard Átila De Sousa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Blood Parameters ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Pig Farming ◽  
Randomized Block Design ◽  
Morning Shift

Ethical and commercial issues are associated with animal welfare in pig farming, in that sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate physiological and blood parameters in addition to weight gain in pigs raised with and without sunlight and environmental enrichment (EE), as well as to correlate physiological and environmental parameters as welfare indicators. Twenty-four pigs distributed in a randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement were used. Blocks were represented by shifts (morning and afternoon), and factors by the presence or absence of EE and sunlight. Blood and environmental parameters of thermal comfort, in addition to weight gain, were registered. Physiological parameters showed to be shift dependent (p < 0.05), with the afternoon shift being superior when compared to the morning shift, thus indicating climate influence. Weight gain showed significant interactions (p < 0.05) in the presence and absence of sunlight and EE in the stalls. Temperature correlated positively with the physiological parameters. Moisture showed negative correlations with physiological parameters. The packed cell volume was lower (p < 0.05) in the presence of EE. The EE provides physiological well-being and weight gain for pigs in the nursery stage, especially when sunlight was absent in the stalls.

scholarly journals Mice carrying paternal knockout of imprinted Grb10 do not show compulsive behaviours

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kira DA Rienecker ◽  
Alexander T Chavasse ◽  
Kim Moorwood ◽  
Andrew Ward ◽  
Trevor Humby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Elevated Plus Maze ◽  
Imprinted Genes ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Wild Type Littermate ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
Marble Burying ◽  
Compulsive Behaviour

ABSTRACTMice lacking paternal expression of imprinted Grb10 show a number of social behaviour deficits, including an enhanced allogrooming phenotype. However, this could also index compulsive behaviour, and the increased whisker barbering seen in Grb10+/p mice has been suggested to be indicative of a trichotillomania-type behaviour. Here we test whether compulsive behaviour is a more general phenotype in Grb10+/p mice by examining marble burying at three different adult ages (2, 6 and 10 months). We also examined the mice for potentially confounding anxiety phenotypes using the elevated plus maze (EPM). Grb10+/p mice showed no difference from wild-type littermate controls on any measure in the marble burying test at any age. There was no difference in standard anxiety measures either, although Grb10+/p mice displayed more risk-taking behaviours on the EPM than wild-type mice. These data suggest that Grb10+/p mice are not generally more compulsive, and that the enhanced allogrooming is probably indicative of altered social behaviour. Furthermore, the altered behaviours seen on the EPM adds to other published findings suggesting that Grb10, and imprinted genes more generally, have a role in mediating risk-taking behaviour.

scholarly journals Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, and Animal Welfare: A History of Behavior Analysis in Zoos

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-543
Author(s):  
Eduardo J. Fernandez ◽  
Allison L. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Analysis ◽  
Operant Conditioning ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Change Behavior ◽  
History Of Behavior Analysis ◽  
Zoo Animals ◽  
History Of ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

The modern zoo has been associated with two major behavioral welfare advances: (a) the use of training to increase voluntary husbandry care, and (b) the implementation of environmental enrichment to promote naturalistic behaviors. Both practices have their roots in behavior analysis, or the operant conditioning-centered, reward-based approach to behavioral psychology. Operant conditioning served as the foundation for the development of reinforcement-based training methods commonly used in zoos to make veterinary and husbandry procedures easier and safer for animals and their caregivers. Likewise, operant conditioning, with its focus on arranging environmental antecedents and consequences to change behavior, also provided a framework for successful environmental enrichment practices. In this paper, we outline the key individuals and events that shaped two of the cornerstones of the modern zoo: (1) the emergence of reward-based husbandry training practices, and (2) the engineering of environmental enrichment. In addition, we (3) suggest ways in which behavior analysis can continue to advance zoo welfare by (i) expanding the efficacy of environmental enrichment, (ii) using within-subject methodology, and (iii) improving animal-visitor interactions. Our goal is to provide a historical and contextual reference for future efforts to improve the well-being of zoo animals.

Marble Burying in NMRI Male Mice Is Preferentially Sensitive to Pre- Versus Postsynaptic 5-HT1A Receptor Biased Agonists

Pharmacology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Ronan Depoortere ◽  
Laurent Bardin ◽  
Agnès L. Auclair ◽  
Liesbeth A. Bruins Slot ◽  
Adrian Newman-Tancredi
Keyword(s):  
Male Mice ◽  
Marble Burying

Environmental enrichment strategies for nursery piglets and efficacy for maintaining interest

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (17) ◽  
pp. 1995
Author(s):  
G. F. de Oliveira ◽  
F. R. Caldara ◽  
A. V. Marcon ◽  
R. A. Martins ◽  
C. Crone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Rapid Loss ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Wood Shavings ◽  
Production Indices ◽  
Environment Enrichment ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
First Contact ◽  
Immune Suppressor ◽  
Anxiety And Fear

Context Animals in situations of stress and constant fear exhibit unwanted behaviours for production. Pigs that are afraid of humans tend to associate any management as stressful. The use of environment enrichment for pigs may help to alleviate anxiety and fear, and hence reduce unwanted behaviours during handling. However, provision of appropriate enrichment presents challenges such as the rapid loss of interest in objects by animals. Aims The present study evaluated the effects of different environmental enrichment strategies on the behaviour of pigs at the nursery stage, maintenance of animal interest in the enrichment objects, and their reflexes when faced with emotionally negative situations. Methods Piglets (n = 425) were assigned in a completely randomised design with five treatments and five replicates per treatment (17 animal per replicate). The treatments employed were: control, no enriching objects in the environment; WB, wooden box with popcorn and wood shavings; PT, objects made of plastic tubing; WB and PT concurrently; and WB or PT on alternate days. Behavioural observations were made over 10 days for 8 h each day, divided into four periods of 2 h. Piglets from enriched (n = 10) and non-enriched (n = 10) environments were subjected to three fear tests (human approach, novel object and novel arena). Key results No significant (P &gt; 0.05) effect was found for the type of enrichment provided or strategy adopted (concurrent vs alternating) on the time piglets interacted with the enrichment objects. Animals kept in an environment with no stimulus had higher frequency (P &lt; 0.05) of undesirable behaviours than those with enrichment, regardless of enrichment type or strategy adopted. Piglets reared without enrichment, when isolated in a new environment, had higher frequency of behaviours such as defecating, urinating and attempting escape, as well as more and longer vocalisation events (P &lt; 0.05). Piglets reared in an enriched environment had higher frequency and duration of interaction with a new object, as well as shorter latency time for the first contact with the object (P &lt; 0.05). Conclusions The use of enrichment objects in the rearing environment of piglets at the nursery stage reduced undesirable behaviours, suggesting reduced fear and anxiety, and may therefore improve their psychological wellbeing. Implications Use of enrichment objects during rearing may have implications for alleviation of chronic stress, which leads to constant release of cortisol, an immune suppressor hormone that reduces the health status of the batch and hence production indices.

Simple shelter-style environmental enrichment alters behavior in mice

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey Coke-Murphy ◽  
Matthew Buendia ◽  
Tommy Saborido ◽  
Gregg Stanwood
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Strain Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Laboratory Animals ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Y Maze ◽  
Elevated Maze ◽  
Improved Learning ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractEnvironmental enrichment aims to improve the well-being of laboratory animals and provides an opportunity to improve experimental reliability and validity. Animals raised in more stimulating environments have improved learning and memory as well as more complex brain architecture. However, the effects of environmental enrichment on motor performance, anxiety and emotional development have been poorly studied. Moreover, most investigators studying the effects of enrichment provide extremely large and complex housing conditions to maximize the likelihood of finding effects. These situations are difficult to replicate across animal facilities and are not operationally practical. In this experiment, we investigated how simple, inexpensive disposable shelterstyle enrichment items alter behavior in C57Bl/6 and 129S6 mice. Breeding pairs were established in the presence of a Ketchum “Refuge”, Shepherd Shack “Dome”, or no enrichment. Offspring were assessed neurobehaviorally, either just after weaning (pre-adolescent, P22–P25), or as young adults (P60–P90). Major strain differences were observed in open field activity, elevated maze exploration, and Y-maze activity levels. The presence of the Refuge and/or Dome enrichment shelters significantly altered motor activity, coordination and some measures of anxiety. Mice housed in the presence of shelters were also less dominant than control mice in a tube test assay. Our experiments provide a detailed analysis of the effects of inexpensive and practical methods of housing enrichment on biobehavioral phenotypes in these two commonly used strains of laboratory mice, and suggest that the effects of these shelters on mouse neurobiology and behavior need to be rigorously analyzed before being adopted within vivariums.

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