Abstract
Rats used in research are typically housed singly in cages with limited sensory stimulation. There is substantial evidence that housing rats in these conditions lead to numerous neuroanatomical and behavioral abnormalities. Alternatively, rats can be housed in an enriched environment in which rats are housed in groups and given room for exercise and exploration. Enriched environments result in considerable neuroplasticity in the rodent brain. In the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, enriched environments evoke especially profound neural changes, including increases in the number of neurons and the number of dendritic spines. However, whether changes in astrocytes, a type of glia increasingly implicated in mediating neuroplasticity, are concurrent with these neural changes remains to be investigated. In order to assess morphological changes among astrocytes of the rat dentate gyrus, piSeeDB was used to optically clear 250 μm sections of tissue labeled using GFAP immunohistochemistry. Confocal imaging and image analysis were then used to measure astrocyte morphology. Astrocytes from animals housed in EE demonstrated a reduced distance between filament branch points. Furthermore, the most complex astrocytes were significantly more complex among animals housed in EE compared to standard environments.
Highlights
Studies in neuroscience often employ animal models because of the similarity in structure and function between human nervous systems and the nervous systems of other animals
No significant differences were found in the number of GFAP+ cells between animals housed in EE (M = 200.25, SEM = ±14.56) and those housed in standard housing environment (SE) (M = 143.50, SEM = ±45.49) (p = .280)
It was hypothesized that enriched environments would induce an increase in the number and complexity of astrocytes in the rat dentate gyrus
Summary
Studies in neuroscience often employ animal models because of the similarity in structure and function between human nervous systems and the nervous systems of other animals. Animal models allow changes in behavior to be compared directly to changes in neurophysiology, an ability that cannot be accomplished through any other means. For this reason, animal models are critical for our understanding of human nervous system function and disease. Despite the utility of animal models, results obtained from their use do not always translate to the human nervous system This problem is exemplified by the near universal failure of clinical trials of treatments for numerous neurological diseases, including traumatic brain injury [1] and stroke [2], despite demonstrated efficacy in animal models. While many of the differences between humans and other animals are unavoidable, researchers must be careful to ensure their animal models are valid
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