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Environmental enrichment promotes adaptive responding during tests of behavioral regulation in male heterogeneous stock rats.

Authors :
Ishiwari K
King CP
Martin CD
Tripi JA
George AM
Lamparelli AC
Chitre AS
Polesskaya O
Richards JB
Solberg Woods LC
Gancarz AM
Palmer AA
Dietz DM
Mitchell SH
Meyer PJ
Source :
Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2024 Feb 20; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 4182. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Feb 20.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Organisms must regulate their behavior flexibly in the face of environmental challenges. Failure can lead to a host of maladaptive behavioral traits associated with a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and substance use disorders. This maladaptive dysregulation of behavior is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. For example, environmental enrichment produces beneficial neurobehavioral effects in animal models of such disorders. The present study determined the effects of environmental enrichment on a range of measures related to behavioral regulation using a large cohort of male, outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats as subjects. Subjects were reared from late adolescence onwards either in pairs in standard housing with minimal enrichment (nā€‰=ā€‰200) or in groups of 16 in a highly enriched environment consisting of a large multi-level cage filled with toys, running wheels, and shelters (nā€‰=ā€‰64). Rats were subjected to a battery of tests, including: (i) locomotor response to novelty, (ii) light reinforcement, (iii) social reinforcement, (iv) reaction time, (v) a patch-depletion foraging test, (vi) Pavlovian conditioned approach, (vii) conditioned reinforcement, and (viii) cocaine conditioned cue preference. Results indicated that rats housed in the enriched environment were able to filter out irrelevant stimuli more effectively and thereby regulate their behavior more efficiently than standard-housing rats. The dramatic impact of environmental enrichment suggests that behavioral studies using standard housing conditions may not generalize to more complex environments that may be more ethologically relevant.<br /> (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2045-2322
Volume :
14
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Scientific reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
38378969
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53943-y