Impact of nesting material on mouse body temperature and physiology

Gaskill, Brianna N.; Gordon, Christopher J.; Pajor, E. A.; Lucas, Jeffrey R.; Davis, J. K.; Garner, Joseph P.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.12.018

Cited by 122 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Nevertheless, research institutes should consider providing some space for selected comparative experiments. Alternatively, providing additional nesting material could also allow mice to construct a thermoneutral shelter for themselves which they could freely access as desired [25,26] and avoid overheating which is a possibility when using a constant thermoneutral temperature. However, there still could be considerable variability between laboratories using a variety of different beddings.…”

Section: Metabol Ismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, because these decisions are under the purview of the animal care staff, they are 'under the radar' of most researchers and are not generally considered in terms of experimental outcomes. This dichotomy between the mandated, standard temperature (sub-thermoneutral temperature, ST) and the thermoneutral temperature (TT) is acknowledged in the Guide, which recommends that mice be provided with nesting materials or shelter (see also [25,26]). However, these measures are not always in place, and even when they are, mice are often seen to 'huddle' to minimize heat loss and exhibit signs of cold stress [6].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermoneutrality, Mice, and Cancer: A Heated Opinion

Hylander

Repasky

2016

Trends in Cancer

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Section: Metabol Ismmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoneutrality, Mice, and Cancer: A Heated Opinion

Hylander

Repasky

2016

Trends in Cancer

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“…One fundamental environmental variable, the type of bedding used in cages, may be a source variation in laboratory tests of animal behavior. Rodent bedding materials have been demonstrated to inuence stress and immune reactivity proles [15,16], thermoregulation processes [17,18], vocalizations, [19], body mass [20], as well as liver enzyme levels in laboratory rats and mice [21,22]. Research focusing on corncob bedding, which contains measurable levels of phytoestrogens, reports alterations in slow-wave sleep, suppression of male and female reproductive behavior, acyclicity in female estrus cycles, as well as changes in estrogen receptor alpha expression in regions of the brain implicated in aggression and sexual behavior [23][24][25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of housing variables on the development of stress-sensitive behaviors in the rat

Sakhai

Preslik

Francis

2013

Physiology & Behavior

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• Laboratory bedding material inuences developmental programming of rats.• Bedding material during early life can alter stress sensitive measures in adulthood.• Corncob bedding during sensitive periods decreases adult measures of anxiety.• Bedding material during adulthood does not affect adult anxiety-like behavior. Diverse environments early in mammalian life can have profound inuences on the physiology and behavior of developing offspring. Environmental factors can inuence offspring development directly or through perturbations in parental care. In the current study, we wished to determine if the inuence of a single environmental variable, type of bedding material used in laboratory cages, is capable of altering physiological and behavioral outcomes in offspring. Female rats were housed in cages containing wood pulp or corncob bedding and allowed to mature. These rats, while housed on assigned bedding material, were bred and allowed to give birth. At weaning, male offspring were housed on one of the two bedding conditions and tested later in adulthood on stress-sensitive behavioral measures. Postmortem analysis of glucocorticoid receptor expression and CRH mRNA levels were also measured. Maternal care directed at the pups reared in the two different bedding conditions was also recorded. Rats reared from birth on corncob bedding exhibited decreased anxiety-like behavior, as adults, in both open eld and light-dark box tasks compared to wood pulp reared animals. Animals that received similar overall levels of maternal care, regardless of bedding condition, also differed in anxiety-like behaviors as adults, indicating that the bedding condition is capable of altering phenotype independent of maternal care. Despite observed behavioral differences in adult offspring reared in different bedding conditions, no changes in glucocorticoid receptor expression at the level of the hippocampus, frontal cortex, or corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA expression in the hypothalamus were observed between groups. These results highlight the importance of early life housing variables in programming stress-sensitive behaviors in adult offspring. a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oPublished by Elsevier Inc.

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“…Also, as most 103 standard animal facilities have ambient temperatures beneath their thermoneutral temperature, 104 laboratory mice build nests for thermoregulatory reasons (Gaskill et al, 2012) as nest material 105 reduces heat loss and associated food consumption (Gaskill et al, 2013). The motivation for 106 nest building is high, and nest building material is highly valued by laboratory mice (Roper,107 1973;Van De Weerd et al, 1998) see, for example, (Olsson and Dahlborn, 2002) for a review.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Burrowing and nest building behavior as indicators of well-being in mice

Jirkof

2014

Journal of Neuroscience Methods

327

345

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The assessment of pain, distress and suffering, as well as evaluation of the efficacy of stressreduction strategies, is crucial in animal experimentation but can be challenging in laboratory mice. Nest building and burrowing performance, observed in the home cage, have proved to be valuable and easy-touse tools to assess brain damage or malfunction as well as neurodegenerative diseases. Both behaviors are used as parameters in models of psychiatric disorders or to monitor sickness behavior following infection. Their use has been proposed in more realistic and clinically relevant preclinical models of disease, and reduction of these behaviors seems to be especially useful as an early sign of dysfunction and to monitor disease progression. Finally, both behaviors are reduced by pain and stress. Therefore, in combination with specific disease markers, changes in nest building and burrowing performance may help provide a global picture of a mouse's state, and thus aid monitoring to ensure well-being in animal experimentation.

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Impact of nesting material on mouse body temperature and physiology

Cited by 122 publications

References 35 publications

Thermoneutrality, Mice, and Cancer: A Heated Opinion

Thermoneutrality, Mice, and Cancer: A Heated Opinion

Influence of housing variables on the development of stress-sensitive behaviors in the rat

Burrowing and nest building behavior as indicators of well-being in mice

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