Evaluation of different types of enrichment - their usage and effect on home cage behavior in female mice

Numerous studies ascertained positive effects of enriched environments on the well-being of laboratory animals including behavioral, physiological and neurochemical parameters. Conversely, such conclusions imply impaired animal welfare and health in barren husbandry conditions. Moreover, inappropriate housing of laboratory animals may deteriorate the quality of scientific data. Recommendations for housing laboratory animals stipulate that cages should be enriched to mitigate adverse effects of barren housing. In this context, it is not only unclear what exactly is meant by enrichment, but also how the animals themselves interact with the various items on offer. Focal animal observation of female C57BL/6J mice either housed in conventional (CON) or enriched (ENR) conditions served to analyze the impact of enriching housing on welfare related behavior patterns including stereotypical, maintenance, active social, and inactive behaviors. CON conditions resembled current usual housing of laboratory mice, whereas ENR mice received varying enrichment items including foraging, housing and structural elements, and a running disc. Active and inactive use of these elements was quantitatively assessed. CON mice showed significantly more inactive and stereotypical behavior than ENR mice. ENR mice frequently engaged with all enrichment elements, whereby riddles to obtain food reward and the running disc preferably served for active interactions. Offering a second level resulted in high active and inactive interactions. Structural elements fixed at the cagetop were least attractive for the mice. Overall, the presented data underline the positive welfare benefits of enrichment and that mice clearly differentiate between distinct enrichment types, demonstrating that the perspective of the animals themselves should also be taken into account when specifying laboratory housing conditions. This is particularly important, as the ensuring of animal welfare is an essential prerequisite for reliable, reproducible, and scientifically meaningful results.

A Comparison of Macaque Hair Hormone Concentration Following Enhanced Cognitive Experiences or Standard Nonhuman Primate Environmental Enrichment

Experience with enriched environments positively impacts the health and wellbeing of nonhuman animals ranging from rodents to primates. Little is known, however, about the specific effects of enhanced cognitive enrichment (ECE) on nonhuman primates. The study reported here used archival samples to provide preliminary analysis of ECE on hormones associated with stress and wellbeing, as well as evaluation of persistent effects of infant social rearing. Hair samples from 24 adult male rhesus macaques were analyzed via LC-MS/MS technique for the main stress response hormones: cortisol, cortisone, and dehydroepiandrosterone. The ECE and care-as-usual (CAU) groups did not significantly differ in any of the mean analyte values. Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone were strongly and positively correlated in the ECE group. By contrast, for the CAU group the two analytes were weakly correlated. Within the ECE group, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone were significantly and positively correlated in the mother-reared group, but not in the nursery-reared group. Overall, these results provide preliminary evidence that experience with ECE could help to maintain a balanced cortisol:dehydroepiandrosterone ratio, possibly indicative of a healthy stress response. Further examination of this ratio in hair is needed to support this hypothesis. These observations may also suggest that nursery rearing could have persistent effects, including dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, apparent in the unbalanced cortisol:dehydroepiandrosterone ratio. Together these findings are consistent with the growing literature that supports the use of ECE to promote nonhuman primate wellbeing and healthy development.

Complete Genome Sequence of Achromobacter Strain ES-001, a Betaproteobacterium Associated with a Cellulolytic Soil Community

The genome sequence of the soilborne bacterium Achromobacter strain ES-001, assembled from Illumina NextSeq and Nanopore MinION reads, is rich in genes predicted to encode iron, arsenic, and hydrocarbon metabolism, as well as type 6 secretion components. The sequenced genome will aid in determining the roles of noncellulolytic species in cellulose-enriched environments.

Some contributions from Neurosciences to Education: do enriched environments increase the learning capacity of our brain?

The reflection and discussion on the role of genetic specification and experience in the acquisition of a function and in the development of an individual reflects a fascinating and very current debate among those working in the area of behavior and development. Concerning the development of human behavior and the influence of biological heritage and the envitonment, conflicting and sometimes exclusive positions were established. On the one hand, adherents of genetic inheritance exclude the possibility of the influence of the environment. On the other hand, supporters of the environment exclude genetic inheritance. There is also an eclectic position, reconciling both extremes. Furthermore, within the scope of the trends themselves, differentiating nuances emerge. It is therefore, a very controversial subject to which we dedicate this work from a Neuroscience perspective. We will approach brain neuroplasticity as the ability of the nervous system to change and adapt, in response to internal and external stimuli, including structural and / or functional changes throughout life. Brain plasticity is one of the pillars of learning and memory processes. In short, the role of Neurosciences in the field of Educational Sciences is taking shape and the concept of neuroplasticity is a sine qua non condition for trying to establish a connection between education, behavior and the brain.

Right fronto-parietal networks mediate the neurocognitive benefits of enriched environments.

Exposure to enriched environments (EE) throughout a lifetime, providing so called reserve, protects against cognitive decline in later years. It has been hypothesised that high levels of alertness necessitated by EE might strengthen the right fronto-parietal networks (FPN) to facilitate this neurocognitive resilience. We have previously shown that EE offset age-related deficits in selective attention by preserving grey matter within right fronto-parietal regions. Here, using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), we examined the relationship between EE, microstructural properties of fronto-parietal white matter association pathways (three branches of the superior longitudinal fasciculus, SLF), structural brain health (atrophy), and attention (alertness, orienting and executive control) in a group of older adults. We show that EE is associated with a lower orientation dispersion index (ODI) within the right SLF1 which in turn mediates the relationship between EE and alertness, as well as grey- and white-matter atrophy. This suggests that EE may induce white matter plasticity (and prevent age-related dispersion of axons) within the right FPN to facilitate the preservation of neurocognitive health in later years.

The Influences of Community-Enriched Environment on the Cognitive Trajectories of Elderly People

To examine the influences of community-enriched environment on the cognitive trajectories of the elderly in China, using panel data of 10,057, 3994, 2387, and 1749 older persons aged 65–104 years of the 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2014 waves from the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and a growth curve model, the authors analyzed the changing trend of elderly people’s cognitive abilities with age. The influences of community-enriched environments on cognitive abilities were also investigated. Results show that when all the factors are out of consideration except age, for an older person aged 82.5 years, as he/she grows one year older, his/her cognitive abilities will be reduced by 0.139 points, while for one aged 92.5 years, they will be reduced by 0.199 points, which means cognitive abilities decline rapidly as the individuals grow older. The elderly people from communities with enriched environments have higher cognitive levels and slower declining speeds of cognitive abilities than the other elderly people, proving the long-term ability of such environments to facilitate cognitive abilities. An increase in the stimulation of the enriched environment is needed to prevent or slow down the degeneration of cognitive abilities.

Bioleaching of E-Waste: Influence of Printed Circuit Boards on the Activity of Acidophilic Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria

Bioleaching is a promising strategy to recover valuable metals from spent printed circuit boards (PCBs). The performance of the process is catalyzed by microorganisms, which the toxic effect of PCBs can inhibit. This study aimed to investigate the capacity of an acidophilic iron-oxidizing culture, mainly composed of Leptospirillum ferriphilum, to oxidize iron in PCB-enriched environments. The culture pre-adapted to 1% (w/v) PCB content successfully thrived in leachates with the equivalent of 6% of PCBs, containing 8.5 g L–1 Cu, 8 g L–1 Fe, 1 g L–1 Zn, 92 mg L–1 Ni, 12.6 mg L–1 Pb, and 4.4 mg L–1 Co, among other metals. However, the inhibiting effect of PCBs limited the microbial activity by delaying the onset of the exponential iron oxidation. Successive subcultures boosted the activity of the culture by reducing this delay by up to 2.6 times under batch conditions. Subcultures also favored the rapid establishment of high microbial activity in continuous mode.

Physiological Responses of Beet and Cabbage Plants Exposed to Copper and their Potential Insertion in Human Food Chain

Copper (Cu) can be toxic to vegetables when it is absorbed and accumulated at large concentrations, a fact that increases the risk of excessive addition of this metal to the human food chain. The aims of the current study are (1) to determine the Cu concentrations that have critical toxic effects on beet and cabbage plants, and the potential of these plants to enter the human food chain; as well as (2) to assess the physiological and biochemical responses of representatives of these vegetables grown in nutrient solution presenting increasing Cu concentrations. Beet and cabbage plants were grown for 75 days in pots filled with sand added with nutrient solution presenting six Cu concentrations: 0.00, 0.52, 1.02, 1.52, 2.02 and 2.52 mg Cu L -1 . Dry matter yield and Cu accumulation in different plant organs were evaluated. Photosynthetic pigment contents, lipid peroxidation levels (TBARs), superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) and peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.7) activity, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 ) concentrations in leaves were evaluated. Critical Cu concentrations that led to toxicity in plant organs such as beetroot and cabbage head, which are often found in human diets, corresponded to 1.43 mg Cu L -1 and 1.59 mg Cu L -1 , respectively. High Cu concentrations in the nutrient solution have increased Cu concentrations and accumulation in plant tissues. This outcome justified the increased POD and SOD enzyme activity in the leaves of beet and cabbage plants, respectively, as well as was the cause of reduced plant growth in both crops. Cabbage plants presented higher tolerance to increased Cu levels in the growing environment than beet plants. However, it is necessary being careful at the time to consume both vegetables, when they are grown in Cu-enriched environments.