McMillan Jennifer L, Bloomsmith Mollie A, Prescott Mark J
Division of Animal Resources, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia.
National Centre for Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), London;, Email:
Comp Med. 2017 Oct 1;67(5):442-451.
Specifically designed restraint chairs are the preferred method of restraint for research studies that require NHP to sit in place for sustained periods of time. In light of increasing emphasis on refinement of restraint to improve animal wellbeing, it is important to have a better understanding of this potentially stressful procedure. Although chair restraint is used internationally, very little published information is available on this subject. We developed a survey to obtain an overview of equipment, procedures, and plans for improvement regarding chair restraint. We received 101 responses from people working in academic, government, contract research, and pharmaceutical laboratories within the Americas, Europe and Asia. Findings indicate that the majority of laboratories using restraint chairs work with macaque species. Restraint chairs are used for a wide range of procedures, including cognitive testing, recording neuronal activity, functional MRI, intravenous infusion, and blood sampling. Approximately 2/3 of laboratories use an enclosed 'box chair,' which the animal is trained to enter and then to extend its head through an opening on the top of the chair; the remaining one third of laboratories use an 'open chair' design, in which manual handling or the pole-and-collar system is used to transfer and secure the animal into the chair. Respondents reported that when selecting the type of chair to use, they considered comfort for the animal, ease of use, and the ability to adjust fit between animals of different sizes. Various training methods and timeframes are used to prepare macaques for restraint chair procedures. Several laboratories are incorporating greater use of positive reinforcement training. The community that uses these restraint procedures needs to work together to define best practice; our survey results can help in that effort.
专门设计的约束椅是在需要非人灵长类动物长时间原地坐立的研究中进行约束的首选方法。鉴于越来越强调优化约束措施以改善动物福利，更好地理解这一潜在的应激程序非常重要。尽管约束椅在国际上都有使用，但关于这个主题的已发表信息却非常少。我们开展了一项调查，以全面了解有关约束椅的设备、程序及改进计划。我们收到了来自美洲、欧洲和亚洲的学术、政府、合同研究及制药实验室工作人员的101份回复。调查结果表明，大多数使用约束椅的实验室研究对象是猕猴。约束椅用于广泛的程序，包括认知测试、记录神经元活动、功能磁共振成像、静脉输液和采血。大约三分之二的实验室使用封闭式“箱式椅”，动物经过训练进入箱式椅，然后将头伸出椅顶的开口；其余三分之一的实验室使用“开放式椅”设计，其中通过人工操作或杆环系统将动物转移并固定在椅子上。受访者表示，在选择使用的椅子类型时，他们考虑了动物的舒适度、易用性以及适应不同大小动物的能力。为使猕猴适应约束椅程序，采用了各种训练方法和时间框架。一些实验室越来越多地采用正强化训练。使用这些约束程序的群体需要共同努力来确定最佳做法；我们的调查结果有助于这一努力。
