Training als Refinementstrategie für Verhaltenstests mit Nagern

Beschreibung

This project focusses on the possible implementation and impact of clicker training as part of a refinement strategy in behavioral tasks for rodents. We evaluated different chocolates as reward in a place preference setting, though without success. Meanwhile the analysis of open field and elevated plus maze experiments showed positive influence of clicker training on laboratory animals in respect to their anxiety and exploration behavior (wider movement of female mice in centrum of open field/ open arms of elevated plus maze). The tail suspension test did not produce hints on any antidepressant impact of the training procedure. Counting newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus under the influence of clicker training did not lead to signs of enhanced neurogenesis. The same results apply for different housing conditions (single/group and enriched/standard) although this study includes some methodical flaws. Clearly beneficial were training procedures in context of the CatWalk test. Trained animals showed an increased compliance in test procedures. In trend fewer runs were needed to meet the run criteria and in several groups significantly lower run durations were achieved – thereby improving also the software analysis. No difference was found in speed variation between trained and untrained groups. A strong contrast is evident between male and female mice. Females tend to have a greater benefit of training in some tested parameters in our setting. Reasons for this observation can only be mentioned speculatively – aggressive behavior within the male housing groups may for example play a role. Taken together, clicker training – if applied wisely – can show a positive influence on laboratory animals. Not only behavioral signs but also collected experimental data allow this conclusion. Refinement of experimental procedures is a growing field and clicker training can take part in the methodical catalogue used therefor. What is needed is a further distribution of the approach, more protocols for a successful implementation and completing evidence of its beneficial effect. Parts of these can be delivered by this research work.

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Jana Dickmann

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