Important Hints in Behavioural Teratology of Rodents

Abstract

The paper deals with the most important items regarding the improvement of quality of experimental procedures when testing drug effects on behaviour and development of commonly-used rodent species. Current-used test procedures for immature and adult rodents exposed early developmentally are briefly described and recent advances and difficulties in their hands-on interpretation are highlighted. Comparability of measures in human and animals for drug-effect assessment is also shortly discussed. It is then stressed that studies on rodents carried out in seminaturalistic and naturalistic settings may offer a highly profitable direction for future research in behavioural teratology and toxicology. A final paragraph is dedicated to the bioethical aspects arisen from the use of large number of rodents subjects in behavioural testing.

Visceral pain in humans: Lessons from animals

“…Moreover, environmental history and context influence the quality of experimental procedures used to test drug effects in animals. Conducting studies in more naturalistic settings may improve the quality of future research in behavioral and toxicologic effects of analgesic drugs, which also should permit reduction of the large number of rodents currently used in such testing [39].…”

A short review on behavioural assessment methods in rodents

“…The use of feasible indicators to evaluate animals' emotional states is strongly recommended in behavioral assessments. [ 4 ] Behaviors can be measured in terms of interval (also known as latency), frequency, and duration. Interval measures the time it takes for a specific behavior to occur.…”