Kentner Amanda C, Speno Amanda V, Doucette Joanne, Roderick Ryland C
School of Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA 02115
School of Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA 02115.
eNeuro. 2021 Mar 12;8(2). doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0539-20.2021. Print 2021 Mar-Apr.
The reproducibility and translation of neuroscience research is assumed to be undermined by introducing environmental complexity and heterogeneity. Rearing laboratory animals with minimal (if any) environmental stimulation is thought to control for biological variability but may not adequately test the robustness of our animal models. Standard laboratory housing is associated with reduced demonstrations of species typical behaviors and changes in neurophysiology that may impact the translation of research results. Modest increases in environmental enrichment (EE) mitigate against insults used to induce animal models of disease, directly calling into question the translatability of our work. This may in part underlie the disconnect between preclinical and clinical research findings. Enhancing environmental stimulation for our model organisms promotes ethological natural behaviors but may simultaneously increase phenotypic trait variability. To test this assumption, we conducted a systematic review and evaluated coefficients of variation (CVs) between EE and standard housed mice and rats. Given findings of suboptimal reporting of animal laboratory housing conditions, we also developed a methodological reporting table for enrichment use in neuroscience research. Our data show that animals housed in EE were not more variable than those in standard housing. Therefore, environmental heterogeneity introduced into the laboratory, in the form of enrichment, does not compromise data integrity. Overall, human life is complicated, and by embracing such nuanced complexity into our laboratories, we may paradoxically improve on the rigor and reproducibility of our research.
人们认为，引入环境复杂性和异质性会削弱神经科学研究的可重复性和转化性。用极少（如果有的话）环境刺激饲养实验动物被认为可以控制生物变异性，但可能无法充分测试我们动物模型的稳健性。标准实验室饲养环境与物种典型行为表现减少以及神经生理学变化有关，而这些变化可能会影响研究结果的转化。适度增加环境富集（EE）可减轻用于诱导疾病动物模型的损伤，这直接引发了对我们研究工作可转化性的质疑。这可能部分解释了临床前研究和临床研究结果之间的脱节。增强我们模型生物的环境刺激可促进行为学上的自然行为，但可能同时增加表型性状变异性。为了验证这一假设，我们进行了一项系统综述，并评估了EE饲养组与标准饲养组小鼠和大鼠之间的变异系数（CV）。鉴于动物实验室饲养条件报告不理想的情况，我们还制定了一份用于神经科学研究中富集方法的报告表。我们的数据表明，EE饲养的动物并不比标准饲养的动物更具变异性。因此，以富集形式引入实验室的环境异质性不会损害数据完整性。总体而言，人类生活是复杂的，通过在我们的实验室中接纳这种细微的复杂性，我们可能会反常地提高研究的严谨性和可重复性。
