Effects of differential environments on the cerebral anatomy of rats as a function of previous and subsequent housing conditions

Katz, Hillary B.; Davies, Christopher

doi:10.1016/s0014-4886(84)90098-0

Cited by 37 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Studies of adult brain structural plasticity in vertebrates have also produced evidence of stability after expansion. For example, increases in cortical weight and thickness in rats following 1 month of exposure to a complex environment declined only slightly during a subsequent month of exposure to a simple environment (Katz and Davies, 1984). Increased dendritic branching in the rat occipital cortex is also maintained when the animal is moved from a complex environment to an individual cage (Camel et al, 1986).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limits on volume changes in the mushroom bodies of the honey bee brain

et al. 2003

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The behavioral maturation of adult worker honey bees is influenced by a rising titer of juvenile hormone (JH), and is temporally correlated with an increase in the volume of the neuropil of the mushroom bodies, a brain region involved in learning and memory. We explored the stability of this neuropil expansion and its possible dependence on JH. We studied the volume of the mushroom bodies in adult bees deprived of JH by surgical removal of the source glands, the corpora allata. We also asked if the neuropil expansion detected in foragers persists when bees no longer engage in foraging, either because of the onset of winter or because colony social structure was experimentally manipulated to cause some bees to revert from foraging to tending brood (nursing). Results show that adult exposure to JH is not necessary for growth of the mushroom body neuropil, and that the volume of the mushroom body neuropil in adult bees is not reduced if foraging stops. These results are interpreted in the context of a qualitative model that posits that mushroom body neuropil volume enlargement in the honey bee has both experience-independent and experience-dependent components.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limits on volume changes in the mushroom bodies of the honey bee brain

et al. 2003

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“…Studies of laboratory rodents, including mice, have shown that increasing environmental complexity and/or providing opportunities to move under cover can increase brain weight and alter the relative weights of different brain structures (e.g. Katz and Davies, 1984;Kempermann et al, 1997), and increase neural connectivity and neurogenesis (van Praag et al, 1999a,b;Nakamura et al, 1999). Environmental 'enrichment' can also result in neurochemical changes (see Renner and Rosenzweig, 1987), delay the onset of degenerative diseases such as Huntington's Disease (van Dellen et al, 2000;Hockley et al, 2002), improve visual acuity (Prusky et al, 2000); and alter performance in behavioural tasks such as open field activity and food-seeking behaviours (Henderson, 1970;Manosevitz, 1970;Warren et al, 1982).…”

Section: Mouse Behavioural Biology and Normalcy In The Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 99%

From house mouse to mouse house: the behavioural biology of free-living Mus musculus and its implications in the laboratory

Latham

Mason

2004

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

290

236

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Understanding a species' behaviour in natural conditions can give insights into its development, responses and welfare in captivity. Here, we review research and pest control literatures on the free-living house mouse (Mus musculus), analysing its sensory world, developmental processes and behaviour to suggest how laboratory environments might affect mouse welfare, normalcy, test design, and behaviour. Mouse development from foetus to weaning is influenced by prenatal stress and nutrient levels, and post-natal litter size and other factors affecting maternal care, all with lasting effects on adult bodyweight, aggression, activity levels, stress responsiveness and masculinisation. These influences may well be important in the laboratory, for example unwittingly differing between facilities leading to site-differences in phenotype. Murine senses are dominated by olfactory, auditory and tactile cues. Their hearing extends into the ultrasonic, and vision, from mid-range wavelengths to the ultraviolet. In mouse facilities, behaviour and welfare may therefore also be affected by sensory stimuli unnoticed by humans. The physical and social environment and behaviour of wild mice differ greatly from those of laboratory mice. Dispersal age varies with resource-levels and social cues, and mice often either live alone or in family groups. Mice occupy territories/ranges measuring a few square meters to several square kilometers, and which allow running, climbing, and burrowing. Mice are often active during dawn/dusk, and spend their time patrolling their territories, investigating neighbours' odour cues, foraging, finding mates and rearing litters. The potential impact of these many differences and restrictions on laboratory mouse development, normalcy and welfare has only begun to be explored.

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“…Over the past 50 years, enriched environments have been used to demonstrate that the structure, chemical composition, and function of the entire brain can change across the lifespan . Animals housed in enriched conditions exhibit increases in brain weight, cortical thickness, glial cell to neuron ratio, dendritic branching, number of synapses per neuron, and levels of neurotrophins compared to animals housed in standard laboratory conditions Katz and Davies, 1984;Turner and Greenough, 1985;Ickes et al, 2000). Enrichment also increases the levels of acetylcholine (ACh) receptors, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), choline acetyltransferase, and monoamines in multiple brain regions Por et al, 1982;O' Shea et al, 1983;.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the effects of enrichment on dendritic length and branching and oligodendrocyte to neuron ratio persisted after several weeks of individual housing, the increase in cortical thickness reversed when rats were returned to standard housing conditions (Katz and Davies, 1984;Camel et al, 1986). Age-related changes in motor cortex such as broad receptive fields, small cortical maps and decreases in response strength were restored when aged rats were exposed to an enriched environment (Godde et al, 2002).…”

Section: Potential Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, enrichment increases brain weight, cortical thickness, glial cell to neuron ratio, dendritic branching, number of synapses per neuron, and levels of neurotrophins compared to animals housed in standard laboratory conditions (Diamond et al, , 1972Globus et al, 1973;Por et al, 1982;Katz and Davies, 1984;Sirevaag et al, 1985;Turner and Greenough, 1985;Ickes et al, 2000;. The anatomical and neurochemical consequences of enrichment on information processing have not been characterized, but may form the basis of physiological plasticity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental Enrichment Increases Response Strength And Paired-Pulse Depression Of Auditory Cortex Neurons

Percaccio

Pruette²,

Mistry³

et al. 2008

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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A wide variety of sensory gating impairments have been associated with autism. Abnormal brain development may alter patterns of interaction between the child and the environment and hinder the acquisition of critical language skills. After several months of therapy, autistic symptoms may subside as children advance to higher cognitive stages. This study modeled the physiological changes associated with therapy-related gains in children by investigating enrichment-induced plasticity in rat auditory cortex. Evoked potential response strength and paired-pulse depression were enhanced by exposure to an enriched environment and degraded by exposure to a standard environment. While neither exercise nor social stimulation, specifically, resulted in any plasticity, rats that heard the enriched environment from a distance also exhibited enhanced responses. The degree of enrichment-induced plasticity was not reduced by a substantial and persistent cholinergic deficit. The finding that enrichment increases response strength and paired-pulse depression in the auditory cortex of rats is consistent with earlier clinical observations, suggesting that proper sensory development is necessary for higher cognitive processes. In the future we will investigate if clinical gains during and after therapy are associated with increased event-related potential discrimination and hemispheric localization of speech stimuli in children with autism.

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Effects of differential environments on the cerebral anatomy of rats as a function of previous and subsequent housing conditions

Cited by 37 publications

References 19 publications

Limits on volume changes in the mushroom bodies of the honey bee brain

Limits on volume changes in the mushroom bodies of the honey bee brain

From house mouse to mouse house: the behavioural biology of free-living Mus musculus and its implications in the laboratory

Environmental Enrichment Increases Response Strength And Paired-Pulse Depression Of Auditory Cortex Neurons

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