Ness J W, Marshall T R, Aravich P F
U.S. Army Medical Research Detachment Brooks Air Force Base, Texas 78235-5138, USA.
Dev Psychobiol. 1995 Apr;28(3):165-73. doi: 10.1002/dev.420280304.
This study evaluated the effects of differential rearing conditions on a rat protocol for various human syndromes. Subjects were 26 male Sprague-Dawley rats, 24 days old at the start of the experiment, matched according to weight, and randomly assigned to an isolation- or group-reared (4 rats/cage) condition. At 60 days of age (273 +/- 13 g), subjects were individually housed in cages allowing access to running wheels. Weight loss was produced through voluntary exercise and restricted food access. Animals in the isolation-reared condition lost weight at a faster rate and had heavier relative thymus weights than those in the group-reared condition. Animals in both conditions ran equivalent distances and ate equivalent amounts of food. The data show that postweaning rearing conditions impact the interpretation of behavioral and physiological outcomes of animal models. The results implicate a shift from maternal regulation of pup physiological and behavioral systems to the broader social niche.
本研究评估了不同饲养条件对模拟各种人类综合征的大鼠实验方案的影响。实验对象为26只雄性斯普拉格-道利大鼠，实验开始时24日龄，根据体重匹配，并随机分配到隔离饲养或群居饲养（每笼4只大鼠）条件下。在60日龄（体重273±13克）时，将实验对象单独饲养在可使用跑轮的笼子里。通过自愿运动和限制食物摄入造成体重减轻。隔离饲养条件下的动物体重减轻速度更快，相对胸腺重量比群居饲养条件下的动物更重。两种条件下的动物跑动距离相当，进食量也相当。数据表明，断奶后的饲养条件会影响对动物模型行为和生理结果的解读。结果表明从母鼠对幼鼠生理和行为系统的调节转向了更广泛的社会环境。
