Behavioral effects of environmental enrichment during gestation in WKY and Wistar rats

Ateret Rosenfeld; Aron Weller

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2012.05.006

Behavioral effects of environmental enrichment during gestation in WKY and Wistar rats

Ateret Rosenfeld, Aron Weller

Department of Psychology

Bar-Ilan University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

Effects of prenatal environmental enrichment (EE) were examined in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) " depressive- and anxious-like" rats and Wistar rats. During gestation, dams lived in standard cages or in EE cages. Their behavior during gestation and lactation was observed. On weaning day, they were tested in the forced swimming test, and corticosterone concentration was measured from their plasma. The offspring, reared in standard environment, were tested as juveniles or young adults in the elevated plus maze, open field and forced swimming tests. Corticosterone concentration in feces was analyzed. EE offspring showed more anxiety-like behaviors and less activity, compared to controls. Effects were more prominent in youth than in adulthood and in Wistar rats more than in WKY. EE lowered corticosterone concentration in young WKY rats' feces. EE induced changes in the dams' behavior during gestation and lactation. These changes in dams' behavior could be mediators of the effects on the offspring.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	245-255
Number of pages	11
Journal	Behavioural Brain Research
Volume	233
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2012.05.006
State	Published - 1 Aug 2012

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was performed as part of the first author's PhD dissertation in the Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University. AR was supported by a President's Fellowship from Bar-Ilan University.

Funding Information:
The research described in this manuscript was funded by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation to AW.

Funding

This research was performed as part of the first author's PhD dissertation in the Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University. AR was supported by a President's Fellowship from Bar-Ilan University. The research described in this manuscript was funded by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation to AW.

Funders	Funder number
Bar-Ilan University
Israel Science Foundation

Keywords

Activity
Anxiety-like-behavior
Early programming
Maternal behavior
Prenatal environmental enrichment
Rats
WKY rats

Access to Document

10.1016/j.bbr.2012.05.006

Cite this

@article{90e4dadd3e824c92ae78b689f0423890,

title = "Behavioral effects of environmental enrichment during gestation in WKY and Wistar rats",

abstract = "Effects of prenatal environmental enrichment (EE) were examined in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) {"} depressive- and anxious-like{"} rats and Wistar rats. During gestation, dams lived in standard cages or in EE cages. Their behavior during gestation and lactation was observed. On weaning day, they were tested in the forced swimming test, and corticosterone concentration was measured from their plasma. The offspring, reared in standard environment, were tested as juveniles or young adults in the elevated plus maze, open field and forced swimming tests. Corticosterone concentration in feces was analyzed. EE offspring showed more anxiety-like behaviors and less activity, compared to controls. Effects were more prominent in youth than in adulthood and in Wistar rats more than in WKY. EE lowered corticosterone concentration in young WKY rats' feces. EE induced changes in the dams' behavior during gestation and lactation. These changes in dams' behavior could be mediators of the effects on the offspring.",

keywords = "Activity, Anxiety-like-behavior, Early programming, Maternal behavior, Prenatal environmental enrichment, Rats, WKY rats",

author = "Ateret Rosenfeld and Aron Weller",

note = "Funding Information: This research was performed as part of the first author's PhD dissertation in the Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University. AR was supported by a President's Fellowship from Bar-Ilan University. Funding Information: The research described in this manuscript was funded by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation to AW. ",

year = "2012",

month = aug,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.bbr.2012.05.006",

language = "אנגלית",

volume = "233",

pages = "245--255",

journal = "Behavioural Brain Research",

issn = "0166-4328",

publisher = "Elsevier",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Behavioral effects of environmental enrichment during gestation in WKY and Wistar rats

AU - Rosenfeld, Ateret

AU - Weller, Aron

N1 - Funding Information: This research was performed as part of the first author's PhD dissertation in the Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University. AR was supported by a President's Fellowship from Bar-Ilan University. Funding Information: The research described in this manuscript was funded by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation to AW.

PY - 2012/8/1

Y1 - 2012/8/1

N2 - Effects of prenatal environmental enrichment (EE) were examined in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) " depressive- and anxious-like" rats and Wistar rats. During gestation, dams lived in standard cages or in EE cages. Their behavior during gestation and lactation was observed. On weaning day, they were tested in the forced swimming test, and corticosterone concentration was measured from their plasma. The offspring, reared in standard environment, were tested as juveniles or young adults in the elevated plus maze, open field and forced swimming tests. Corticosterone concentration in feces was analyzed. EE offspring showed more anxiety-like behaviors and less activity, compared to controls. Effects were more prominent in youth than in adulthood and in Wistar rats more than in WKY. EE lowered corticosterone concentration in young WKY rats' feces. EE induced changes in the dams' behavior during gestation and lactation. These changes in dams' behavior could be mediators of the effects on the offspring.

AB - Effects of prenatal environmental enrichment (EE) were examined in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) " depressive- and anxious-like" rats and Wistar rats. During gestation, dams lived in standard cages or in EE cages. Their behavior during gestation and lactation was observed. On weaning day, they were tested in the forced swimming test, and corticosterone concentration was measured from their plasma. The offspring, reared in standard environment, were tested as juveniles or young adults in the elevated plus maze, open field and forced swimming tests. Corticosterone concentration in feces was analyzed. EE offspring showed more anxiety-like behaviors and less activity, compared to controls. Effects were more prominent in youth than in adulthood and in Wistar rats more than in WKY. EE lowered corticosterone concentration in young WKY rats' feces. EE induced changes in the dams' behavior during gestation and lactation. These changes in dams' behavior could be mediators of the effects on the offspring.

KW - Activity

KW - Anxiety-like-behavior

KW - Early programming

KW - Maternal behavior

KW - Prenatal environmental enrichment

KW - Rats

KW - WKY rats

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84862181146&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.05.006

DO - 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.05.006

M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???

C2 - 22595039

AN - SCOPUS:84862181146

SN - 0166-4328

VL - 233

SP - 245

EP - 255

JO - Behavioural Brain Research

JF - Behavioural Brain Research

IS - 2

ER -

Behavioral effects of environmental enrichment during gestation in WKY and Wistar rats

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this