Leidinger Charlotte, Herrmann Felix, Thöne-Reineke Christa, Baumgart Nadine, Baumgart Jan
Translational Animal Research Center, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz; Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Freie Universität Berlin.
Translational Animal Research Center, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
J Vis Exp. 2017 Mar 6(121):55415. doi: 10.3791/55415.
Establishing new refinement strategies in laboratory animal science is a central goal in fulfilling the requirements of Directive 2010/63/EU. Previous research determined a profound impact of gentle handling protocols on the well-being of laboratory mice. By introducing clicker training to the keeping of mice, not only do we promote the amicable treatment of mice, but we also enable them to experience cognitive enrichment. Clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement training using a conditioned secondary reinforcer, the "click" sound of a clicker, which serves as a time bridge between the strengthened behavior and an upcoming reward. The effective implementation of the clicker training protocol with a cohort of 12 BALB/c inbred mice of each sex proved to be uncomplicated. The mice learned rather quickly when challenged with tasks of the clicker training protocol, and almost all trained mice overcame the challenges they were given (100% of female mice and 83% of male mice). This study has identified that clicker training for mice strongly correlates with reduced fear in the mice during human-mice interactions, as shown by reduced anxiety-related behaviors (e.g., defecation, vocalization, and urination) and fewer depression-like behaviors (e.g., floating). By developing a reliable protocol that can be easily integrated into the daily routine of the keeping of laboratory mice, the lifetime experience of welfare in the mice can be improved substantially.
在实验动物科学中建立新的优化策略是满足2010/63/EU指令要求的核心目标。先前的研究确定了温和处理方案对实验室小鼠福利的深远影响。通过将点击训练引入小鼠饲养中，我们不仅促进了对小鼠的友好对待，还使它们能够体验认知丰富。点击训练是一种正强化训练形式，使用条件性二级强化物——点击器的“咔哒”声，它在强化行为和即将到来的奖励之间起到时间桥梁的作用。事实证明，对每组12只各性别的BALB/c近交系小鼠有效实施点击训练方案并不复杂。当面对点击训练方案的任务挑战时，小鼠学得相当快，几乎所有接受训练的小鼠都克服了所面临的挑战（100%的雌性小鼠和83%的雄性小鼠）。这项研究表明，对小鼠进行点击训练与在人鼠互动过程中小鼠恐惧的减少密切相关，表现为焦虑相关行为（如排便、发声和排尿）减少以及抑郁样行为（如漂浮）减少。通过制定一种可靠的、可轻松融入实验室小鼠日常饲养的方案，可以大幅改善小鼠的终身福利体验。
