The Development of Science-based Guidelines for Laboratory Animal Care Proceedings of the November 2003 International Workshop (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Session 5: Environmental Enrichment Issues
Session 5: Environmental Enrichment Issues
Pages 175-198
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Session 5 Environmental Enrichment Issues
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Greenough and Ann Benefiel This presentation focuses on the research cost-benefit aspect of enrichment of housing conditions for laboratory rats and mice. The choice of this subject emerged because the session organizers requested a presentation on "laboratory animal housing enrichment" and included the following in their letter of charge: The workshop will .
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study using quantitative methods (Volkmar and Greenough 1972) indicated that the dendritic branching of neurons in the rat visual cortex was altered in EC versus IC rats and that "social condition" rats housed in pairs in standard laboratory cages (SC)
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In visual cortex the number of synapses per neuron is 20 to 25% greater in EC rats compared with those in IC, with rats socially housed in cages typically little different from individually housed rats (Turner and
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. All of the foregoing findings have been demonstrated in visual cortex (or connecting callosum)
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Certainly they did not seem to have been asked whether they thought these procedures might interfere with their research, despite a clear policy guideline with regard to the following statement: "Investigators who must singly cage animals and feel that enrichment materials may confound their research objectives must provide justification." Enrichment appears to have been accepted as a "good thing," with little consideration of its possible effects on experimental outcomes. Taken literally, this University of Illinois policy might make it difficult to determine effects of enrichment that one did not know to exist.
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1987. Complex experience promotes capillary formation in young rat visual cortex.
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1966. Dendritic branching: Some preliminary results of training and com plexity in rat visual cortex.
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Well above the minimum standard, there should be an area of excellence, where ideals of ethics and science are the driving forces. Any refinement in housing to improve animal welfare requires: 184
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. If enrichment items are made of organic materials, they should meet the same chemical criteria as bedding.
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Earlier presentations in this meeting have shown that some plastic materials that are commonly considered inert, such as polycarbonate and PVC, emit compounds that have a considerable impact on physiology of the animals. Chemical aspects are usually brought up in good laboratory practice (GLP)
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Statistical analysis showed that growth and alkaline phosphatase showed less variance in pair-housed animals. When this result is calculated into the number of animals needed, the shift from pair-housed to individually housed animals would, according to statistical power analysis, mean using multipliers 1.4 and 2.4, correspondingly (Nevalainen and others 2003)
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There are urgent legal, ethical, and scientific expectations for guidelines on optimal and standardized enrichment. REFERENCES FELASA [Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations]
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This combination of requirements poses larger issues in that it is difficult to define what to measure, what the approach should be, and how to interpret the findings. Cortisol, for example, is not the Holy Grail to indicate the extent of animal welfare.
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Several options were mentioned, including the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine Foundation and the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing. The discussion elucidated the reality of laboratory animal welfare.
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Participants listed what they thought were the key components of an integrated enrichment program. Components include socialization, exercise, pen/cage structures, and other physical enrichment items.
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; some control over social interactions; separate areas for different activities; raised platforms; and subdivisions to allow visual stimulation. Other physical enrichment might include items to allow chewing behavior in dogs; items to be used in social interactions with cagemates; items for play (pseudo-predatory behavior)
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· Where are the gaps in our scientific knowledge? Participants outlined the following benefits of performance standards for assessing environmental enrichment in NHPs: · Promote normal behavior: Stimulate a range of normal behaviors, thereby preventing or reducing the development of abnormal behaviors.
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Participants also discussed the assessment of environmental enhancement for nonhuman primates. Discussion topics included use, other benefits, costs, scientific evidence, research protocol constraints, species considerations, and other considerations, as outlined below.
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Appropriate documentation and person who reviews it Existence versus benefit Determination of intra- versus interinstitutional variability -- Degree to which literature can suffice, especially with indi vidual NHP variations Communication with others: veterinarians, principal investi gators, IACUC members Novelty (i.e., whether variety within this category is necessary to achieve measurable benefit) Frequency of providing this category of enrichment to achieve measurable benefit Other possible factors Minimum Standards (scientifically or anecdotally based)
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· Foraging ° Devices such as puzzle feeders, foraging boards Complex versus simple ° Frozen treats or complex items for browsing, which also pro long consumption time ° Floor substrate (bedding or woodchips) in group rooms ° Special discussion about foraging Should tasks performed for food or drink reward count as "foraging" (if "foraging" experiences specifically required by regulations)
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° Periodic access to larger "activity cage" (frequency, duration) · Social Contact ° Tactile social contact with conspecifics Degrees and type of conspecific contact: visual-only, groom ing-contact, pair, small group, typical species-specific group, same-sex, opposite sex, ages, full-time, periodic -- Age at weaning -- Age at first single housing -- Proportion of immature developmental stages spent in single housing ° Compatible human caregiver versus same species versus "com patible" species; determination of whether human contact can compensate for individual housing Structured human contact (training)
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