Social Enrichment Research Articles

Four-walled or fourfold? Assessing if the gated community is an antidote to cities or a macrocosm of deprived houses

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study evaluates the effectiveness of established and emerging city typologies, comparing whether the gated city functions as a four-walled microcosm of the deprived concrete house or serves as an antidote to urban sprawl. The fourfold model is grounded in evidence-based theories on residential greenness and urban health, resulting in four variables: greenness, sky views, social enrichment, and personal boundaries. Against the backdrop of the Greater Cairo Region, where urban evolution unfolded over two decades, leading to the emergence of gated cities, adult participants completed surveys representing pre- and post-decades. This shift in the residential landscape towards independent and gated communities allows for an assessment of well-being across city/community types and house typologies, comparing the efficacy of gated cities in relation to macro and micro typologies with the four variables. The results reveal intriguing patterns and pitfalls of gated communities, contributing to the ongoing discourse on creating inclusive and fulfilling residential environments. The study underscores the importance of examining interactive experiences within the macro-scale environment and calls for future research to extend beyond the blueprint, engaging residents with the four variables through urban and architectural designs, rather than closing doors and expecting an experience that enhances their well-being.

Does sleep moderate the effects of exercise training or complex mental and social activities on cognitive function in adults with chronic stroke? Secondary analysis of a randomized trial.

Exercise (EX) or cognitive and social enrichment (ENRICH) are two strategies for promoting cognition post-stroke. Whether sleep moderates the effects of EX or ENRICH on cognition in adults with chronic stroke is unknown. A three-arm parallel randomized clinical trial among community-dwelling adults aged 55+ years with chronic stroke (i.e., ≥12 months since stroke). Participants were randomized to 2x/week EX, ENRICH, or balance and tone control (BAT). At baseline, device-measured sleep duration and efficiency were measured using wrist-worn actigraphy; self-reported quality was measured by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants were categorized at baseline as having good or poor device-measured duration, device-measured efficiency, or self-reported quality based on PSQI. The primary cognitive outcome was Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Plus (ADAS-Cog-Plus) measured at baseline, 6 months (end of intervention), and 12 months (6-month follow-up). We examined if baseline sleep categorizations (i.e., good/poor) moderated effects of EX or ENRICH on ADAS-Cog-Plus. We enrolled 120 participants in the trial (EX=34; ENRICH=34; BAT=52). Sleep quality (i.e., device-measured sleep efficiency or self-reported sleep quality) categorization moderated effects of EX (but not ENRICH) on ADAS-Cog-Plus. Compared with BAT participants with poor sleep quality, EX participants with poor sleep quality had better ADAS-Cog-Plus performance at 6 months (estimated mean difference for those with poor device-measured sleep efficiency: -0.48; 95% CI:[-0.85, -0.10]; p=0.010); estimated mean difference for those with poor self-reported sleep quality: -0.38; 95% CI:[-0.70, -0.07]; p=0.014). There was no effect of EX on ADAS-Cog-Plus for participants with good sleep quality. Device-measured sleep duration did not moderate intervention effects. Exercise is particularly beneficial in improving cognitive function in adults with chronic stroke and poor sleep quality.

Social Enrichment Improves Affective State and Foraging Behavior Compared to Physical Enrichment, While Maintaining Growth Performance in Broiler Chickens

Environmental enrichment is key for improving the broiler welfare in intensive production systems. This study lasted for 43 days and evaluated the effects of physical and social enrichment on broiler welfare. A total of 96 one-day-old male broilers were divided into two treatments: control treatment, provided with physical enrichment (n = 48) including perches, platforms, and straw bales; and social treatment (n = 48), involving regular positive interactions with a human. The behavioral repertoire, footpad health, taste preferences for sweet and umami compounds, affective states (through tonic immobility and attention bias tests), and growth performance were evaluated. No effects were found for feeding, drinking, locomotion, lying, or standing behaviors, although differences were observed at specific time points: the Social group had more feeding time on day 21 (p = 0.046), while physical treatment showed reductions on days 28 and 35 (p < 0.001). The Social group showed increased drinking on day 42 (p < 0.001), reduced locomotion (p = 0.022), and increased lying (p = 0.046) on day 42. Foraging was higher in the Social group (p = 0.027), but preening showed no differences. Footpad lesions showed no significant differences. The Control group preferred sucrose 100 mM (p = 0.022), but no preference for MSG 300 mM was observed. With regard to tonic immobility, the Control group showed a tendency towards larger durations (p = 0.078), indicating a potential increase in fearfulness. In the attention bias test, although the freezing behavior increased, the latency to begin feeding was shorter in the Social group (p < 0.001), suggesting an improved affective state. Lastly, no significant differences were observed for any of the growth parameters, including average daily feed intake, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, or final body weight, indicating that the Social group maintained productivity. This approach provides a practical solution for improving the quality of life for broilers in intensive systems.

A Novel Mouse Home Cage Lickometer System Reveals Sex- and Housing-Based Influences on Alcohol Drinking.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant global health issue. Despite historically higher rates among men, AUD prevalence and negative alcohol-related outcomes in women are rising. Loneliness in humans has been associated with increased alcohol use, and traditional rodent drinking models involve single housing, presenting challenges for studying social enrichment. We developed LIQ PARTI (Lick Instance Quantifier with Poly-Animal RFID Tracking Integration), an open-source tool to examine home cage continuous access two-bottle choice drinking behavior in a group-housed setting, investigating the influence of sex and social isolation on ethanol consumption and bout microstructure in C57Bl/6J mice. LIQ PARTI, based on our previously developed single-housed LIQ HD system, accurately tracks drinking behavior using capacitive-based sensors and RFID technology. Group-housed female mice exhibited higher ethanol preference than males, while males displayed a unique undulating pattern of ethanol preference linked to cage changes, suggesting a potential stress or novelty-related response. Chronic ethanol intake distinctly altered bout microstructure between male and female mice, highlighting sex and social environmental influences on drinking behavior. Social isolation with the LIQ HD system amplified fluid intake and ethanol preference in both sexes, accompanied by sex- and fluid-dependent changes in bout microstructure. However, these effects largely reversed upon resocialization, indicating the plasticity of these behaviors in response to social context. Utilizing a novel group-housed home cage lickometer device, our findings illustrate the critical interplay of sex and housing conditions in voluntary alcohol drinking behaviors in C57Bl/6J mice, facilitating nuanced insights into the potential contributions to AUD etiology.

Effects of Environmental Enrichment on the Growth, Gonadal Development, and Welfare of the Chinese Hooksnout Carp (Opsariichthys bidens)

To investigate the effects of environmental enrichment on the growth and welfare level of the Chinese hooksnout carp (Opsariichthys bidens), an experiment was carried out for 56 d with four types of enrichment environments: low-density physical enrichment, high-density physical enrichment, low-density social enrichment, and high-density social enrichment. The experimental results revealed that both physical and social enrichment treatments positively affected the growth and gonadal development of O. bidens. The physical enrichment treatment was found to increase the antioxidants’ content, such as CAT, SOD, and GSH, in the liver of O. bidens. Moreover, this treatment was able to lead to a reduction in MDA content and enhancement of the fish’s antioxidant capabilities. Behavioral observations, cortisol level analysis, and pcna gene expression analysis indicated that the physical enrichment treatment redused the clustering, aggression, and stress behaviors of O. bidens, maintaining them in a low-stress state. In most respects, the high-density physical enrichment has more positive effects than the low-density one. In contrast, the social enrichment treatments resulted in higher stress levels for O. bidens.

Enhancing community engagement, public involvement, and social capital through researchers’ participation in community dance projects: unexpected outcomes in underserved communities

BackgroundThe Dance and Health project aimed to promote public involvement in health research. Public involvement leads worked with project partner community groups, Aakash Odedra Dance Company and Moving Together, to develop a community engagement project with people living in low-socioeconomic areas/deprivation and diverse ethnic minority groups. Dance and Health included a weekly 60-min dance class and 30 min of facilitated health science discussion, that could either be a public involvement discussion for a research project, an activity about a particular biomedical research theme or ongoing discussions with a visiting researcher. The goal of this paper is to explore the impact of the Dance and Health project on the social capital of participants and provide key learnings on how to engage and build partnerships with people from underserved groups in health research contexts.MethodsQualitative interviews and focus groups were completed which explored participant and dance tutor experiences in community venues. Participants were aged between 22 and 90, most were female and were from Asian ethnic minority groups and White British groups living in deprived neighbourhoods in Leicester. Qualitative data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsThe responses to the Dance and Health project were positive across all the focus groups. Central themes identified were Feedback on the Project, Motivation to Exercise, Criticism of the NHS, Mental Wellbeing, Engagement in a Post Pandemic New Normal, Accessibility and Inclusivity, Empowerment and Building Social Capital.DiscussionThe focus groups evidenced that the project had broad impact. Participants expressed empowerment and ownership and described a range of social capital enrichment generated through the project including networks and friendships, access to the institutional resource of health science, and the opportunity to engage with a health and leisure activity that was valued and meaningful.

Assessment of bovine welfare: Evolution towards the approach from the 5 Domains

Positive animal welfare (PAW) is a relatively recent idea that emphasizes the good experiences to improve the mental state. The objective of this review was, describe the indicators used in bovine welfare protocols, identify the domains considered, and establish a proposal focused on indicators to assess positive welfare. It was identified that the protocols require excessive evaluation times, qualify by granting a single score and do not allow regional adaptations according to the critical conditions that may exist in different countries. Furthermore, the main focus of the existing protocols is on the first 3 domains (nutrition, physical environment and health), leaving the recording of the behavior and the mental state of the animals to a lesser degree of importance. A series of indicators were specified, which would promote positive well-being, related to the domains of physical environment and behavioral interactions, emphasizing comfort, environmental, social, sensory, and nutritional enrichment. In conclusion including the diagnosis of the mental state of animals in a comprehensive way is necessary to identify shortcomings and propose improvements that contribute to improving the quality of life of animals.

Adolescent environmental enrichment induces social resilience and alters neural gene expression in a selectively bred rodent model with anxious phenotype

Stress is a major influence on mental health status; the ways that individuals respond to or copes with stressors determine whether they are negatively affected in the future. Stress responses are established by an interplay between genetics, environment, and life experiences. Psychosocial stress is particularly impactful during adolescence, a critical period for the development of mood disorders. In this study we compared two established, selectively-bred Sprague Dawley rat lines, the “internalizing” bred Low Responder (bLR) line versus the “externalizing” bred High Responder (bHR) line, to investigate how genetic temperament and adolescent environment impact future responses to social interactions and psychosocial stress, and how these determinants of stress response interact. Male bLR and bHR rats were exposed to social and environmental enrichment in adolescence prior to experiencing social defeat and were then assessed for social interaction and anxiety-like behavior. Adolescent enrichment caused rats to display more social interaction, as well as nominally less social avoidance, less submission during defeat, and resilience to the effects of social stress on corticosterone, in a manner that seemed more notable in bLRs. For bHRs, enrichment also caused greater aggression during a neutral social encounter and nominally during defeat, and decreased anxiety-like behavior. To explore the neurobiology underlying the development of social resilience in the anxious phenotype bLRs, RNA-seq was conducted on the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, two brain regions that mediate stress regulation and social behavior. Gene sets previously associated with stress, social behavior, aggression and exploratory activity were enriched with differential expression in both regions, with a particularly large effect on gene sets that regulate social behaviors. Our findings provide further evidence that adolescent enrichment can serve as an inoculating experience against future stressors. The ability to induce social resilience in a usually anxious line of animals by manipulating their environment has translational implications, as it underscores the feasibility of intervention strategies targeted at genetically vulnerable adolescent populations.

A novel mouse home cage lickometer system reveals sex- and housing-based influences on alcohol drinking.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant global health issue. Despite historically higher rates among men, AUD prevalence and negative alcohol-related outcomes in women are rising. Loneliness in humans has been associated with increased alcohol use, and traditional rodent drinking models involve single housing, presenting challenges for studying social enrichment. We developed LIQ PARTI (Lick Instance Quantifier with Poly-Animal RFID Tracking Integration), an open-source tool to examine home cage continuous access two-bottle choice drinking behavior in a group-housed setting, investigating the influence of sex and social isolation on ethanol consumption and bout microstructure in C57Bl/6J mice. LIQ PARTI, based on our previously developed single-housed LIQ HD system, accurately tracks drinking behavior using capacitive-based sensors and RFID technology. Group-housed female mice exhibited higher ethanol preference than males, while males displayed a unique undulating pattern of ethanol preference linked to cage changes, suggesting a potential stress-related response. Chronic ethanol intake distinctly altered bout microstructure between male and female mice, highlighting sex and social environmental influences on drinking behavior. Social isolation with the LIQ HD system amplified fluid intake and ethanol preference in both sexes, accompanied by sex- and fluid-dependent changes in bout microstructure. However, these effects largely reversed upon resocialization, indicating the plasticity of these behaviors in response to social context. Utilizing a novel group-housed home cage lickometer device, our findings illustrate the critical interplay of sex and housing conditions in voluntary alcohol drinking behaviors in C57Bl/6J mice, facilitating nuanced insights into the potential contributions to AUD etiology.

Waterfront Transit-Oriented Development: A Comprehensive Review of Urban Revitalization

Waterfront Transit Oriented Development (WTOD) is a pioneering urban development strategy that harnesses the allure and utility of water banks to foster vibrant, mixed-use communities. At its core, WTOD embodies a place-making philosophy, leveraging the natural attraction of waterfronts to stimulate social and economic activities. As urban populations continue to grow, the need to develop sustainable, livable cities becomes ever more pressing. WTOD offers a promising avenue to address this need. However, a comprehensive understanding of its multifaceted impact, challenges, and best practices is essential. This necessitates a thorough review of WTOD concepts from various angles - economic, environmental, social, and cultural. Globally, cities are leveraging their waterfronts for economic rejuvenation and social enrichment, while in India, initiatives like inland water transit projects illustrate WTOD's potential for urban renewal. The research navigates through the historical, practical, and design aspects of WTOD, unraveling its potential as a transformative tool for urban revitalization and sustainable development. Through a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative historical analysis with case study evaluations, this research provides a comprehensive understanding of WTOD. It offers insights into the transformative power of integrating waterfront development with transit-oriented design, presenting WTOD as a viable strategy for sustainable urban growth, increased density, and enhanced community well-being. The findings and discussions presented in this paper contribute significantly to the ongoing discourse on urban development, place-making, and environmental sustainability.

Real-world environmental enrichment rehabilitation paradigm in people with severe traumatic brain injury: a pilot feasibility study

ABSTRACT Background The use of Environmental Enrichment (EE) has been widely studied in animal models. However, the application of the same in humans is limited to rehabilitation settings. Objective To investigate the feasibility of a community-based EE paradigm in adults with brain injury. Methods Six individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury enrolled in the study. The Go Baby Go Café instrumented with a body weight harness system, provided physical and social enrichment as participants performed functional tasks for 2 hours, three times a week, for 2 months. Feasibility and safety outcomes were recorded throughout sessions. Clinical measures including 10-meter walk, timed up and go, jebsen hand function, 6-minute walk, and trail making tests were obtained pre and post intervention. Results All participants completed the study. The attendance was 100% and adherence was 87%. Positive changes in clinical measures were statistically significant for the timed up and go (p = 0.0175), TUG-cognitive (p = 0.0064), 10-meter walk (p = 0.0428), six-minute walk (p = 0.0196), TMT-A (p = 0.034). Changes in JHFT were not significant (p = 0.0506), with one subject recording values counter to the trend. Conclusion The Café was a comprehensive EE-based intervention that was feasible, safe, and has the potential to enhance motor and cognitive function in individuals with brain injury.

Social buffering of behavioural stress response in two fish species, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and koi carp (Cyprinus carpio)

AbstractThe presence of conspecifics plays a crucial role in mitigating stress responses in social teleost species and holds potential for enhancing welfare in captive fish. While studies on social buffering effects have typically focussed on single species, marked interspecific differences can exist. Here, we conducted an analysis of social buffering of stress response in two of the most extensively farmed fish, the Nile tilapia and the koi carp. Subjects were exposed to a behavioural stress response assay (open‐field test) in three conditions simulating increasing levels of social enrichment: isolation, pairs, or shoals of five fish. We obtained five stress indicators from the assay: thigmotaxis, freezing, activity, erratic movements and interindividual distance in conditions with more than one fish. In both species, erratic movements significantly decreased with increasing levels of social enrichment, suggesting a similar social buffering effect. However, other indicators revealed species differences. Koi carp, but not Nile tilapia, showed a socially‐mediated reduction in thigmotaxis, whereas Nile tilapia, but not Koi carp, showed a socially‐mediated reduction in freezing behaviour. Furthermore, social enrichment determined opposite effects on the activity of the two species: Nile tilapia were more active as group size increased, whereas the opposite trend was found in koi carp. Finally, Nile tilapia showed increased interindividual distance with increasing social group size, whereas no changes were observed for koi carp. Our study indicates that the buffering effects of social enrichment on the behavioural stress response do not completely overlap between different fish species, highlighting the importance of developing finely‐tuned species‐specific enrichments and welfare indicators.

Multilingual Education From Students: Case Study in Israel and Moldova

Purpose of the study: This study sets out on an innovative exploration to understand the nuanced learning needs of students, particularly focusing on the often-neglected areas of non-formal and multilingual education. Methodology: Utilizing a robust quantitative survey methodology, this research draws insights from a carefully designed questionnaire comprising 20 rigorously validated statements, achieving a commendable Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.82. The study centers on a diverse group of 200 secondary school students from the culturally diverse landscapes of Israel and Moldova. Main Findings: The study investigates the external influences of national and institutional education policies, as well as transformative educational reform initiatives. Internally, it explores personal aspirations such as the desire for knowledge enhancement, professional retraining, and pursuit of individual interests and leisure activities. Furthermore, the research delves into the complex role of foreign languages in the educational framework, highlighting significant gaps in teacher proficiency, pedagogical methodologies, contemporary learning resources, and assessment practices. Novelty/Originality of this study: The uniqueness of this study lies in its recognition of the multifaceted benefits of multilingual education, which goes beyond cognitive development to foster emotional and social enrichment. Central to this discussion is the concept of interlanguage transfer, a phenomenon that captures the dynamic interaction between the languages of bilingual or multilingual individuals, significantly influencing their linguistic abilities. This study not only emphasizes the importance of multilingualism in educational settings but also highlights its potential to enhance the educational experience for students, educators, and society as a whole.

Burlap and buddies: the effects of social enrichment (preweaning mixing) and object enrichment (burlap) on piglet behavior and welfare in the postweaning environment.

The process of weaning piglets in commercial swine operations subjects them to numerous abrupt and stressful changes often resulting in negative welfare consequences. The objective was to study the postweaning effects of early-life (1 to 3 d of age) preweaning socialization in multi-litter groups as well as object enrichment (burlap sheet) in the pre- and postweaning environment by comparing six treatments that combined mixing of one vs. two vs. four litters mixed preweaning with and without burlap provision. An ANOVA linear model was run on all normal data, expressed per experimental unit (and behavior data were averaged over time), while non-normal data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Non-enriched groups of piglets were observed manipulating pen objects more often than the enriched groups (P = 0.005). Biting behaviors, including the chewing of ears and tails of pen-mates but excluding fighting, were observed the least in groups of pigs of four litters mixed preweaning, while piglets that were not mixed preweaning were observed biting the most (P = 0.03). Piglets who were not mixed preweaning also manipulated the burlap more frequently than the piglets from groups of 4 litters mixed preweaning (P = 0.02). Biting (P < 0.001) and displacements (P = 0.03) and fighting (P = 0.002) throughout the pen were observed less in the enriched groups. There were fewer lesions per pig in the enriched groups vs. non-enriched groups initially (P = 0.07) and 1wk after weaning (P = 0.10). Furthermore, pigs mixed in groups of four litters preweaning also tended to have lower lesion scores (P = 0.07) 1-wk postweaning compared to the other treatments. However, there were no differences between treatments in the proportion of piglets resting, eating/drinking, being active, or using the burlap, or for the observed frequency of displacements at the feeder, social behaviors, or belly nosing (P > 0.10). Overall, social enrichment encourages socialization with unfamiliar conspecifics at a younger age while object enrichment allows pigs to redirect their attention toward objects such as burlap. Both may improve pig behavior and welfare after weaning.

Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Stress and Welfare in Laboratory Animals

Purpose: The general purpose of this study was to examine the effects of environmental enrichment on stress and welfare in laboratory animals.&#x0D; Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.&#x0D; Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the effects of environmental enrichment on stress and welfare in laboratory animals. Preliminary empirical review revealed that that enriching their living environments significantly improved their well-being. They found that interventions such as physical, social, cognitive, and sensory enrichment reduced stress levels, promoted natural behaviors, and enhanced cognitive function. Tailoring enrichment programs to specific species' needs and considering factors like environmental complexity and novelty proved crucial. Moreover, these interventions not only benefited animal welfare but also improved research outcomes by reducing stress and enhancing the validity of preclinical studies. Overall, the research underscored the importance of implementing evidence-based enrichment strategies to ensure the ethical treatment of laboratory animals and enhance the reliability of scientific research.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Biophilia Hypothesis, Optimal Stimulation theory and Stress Inoculation theory may be used to anchor future studies on stress and welfare in laboratory animals. The study made significant contributions to theory, practice, and policy in the field of laboratory animal welfare. It provided valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of environmental enrichment's influence on animal well-being, contributing to existing theoretical frameworks such as the Biophilia Hypothesis, Optimal Stimulation Theory, and Stress Inoculation Theory. Additionally, the study offered practical recommendations for implementing evidence-based enrichment programs tailored to the needs of different animal species. These findings informed policy development by guiding the establishment of standards for enrichment in laboratory animal facilities, enhancing the protection and welfare of laboratory animals across institutional and national levels.&#x0D; Keywords: Environmental Enrichment, Laboratory Animals, Stress, Welfare, Mechanisms, Biophilia Hypothesis, Optimal Stimulation Theory, Stress Inoculation Theory, Implementation, Standards, Well-Being

Impact of enriched environment on motor performance and learning in mice

Neuroscience heavily relies on animal welfare in laboratory rodents as it can significantly affect brain development, cognitive function and memory formation. Unfortunately, laboratory animals are often raised in artificial environments devoid of physical and social stimuli, potentially leading to biased outcomes in behavioural assays. To assess this effect, we examined the impact of social and physical cage enrichment on various forms of motor coordination. Our findings indicate that while enriched-housed animals did not exhibit faster learning in eyeblink conditioning, the peak timing of their conditioned responses was slightly, but significantly, improved. Additionally, enriched-housed animals outperformed animals that were housed in standard conditions in the accelerating rotarod and ErasmusLadder test. In contrast, we found no significant effect of enrichment on the balance beam and grip strength test. Overall, our data suggest that an enriched environment can improve motor performance and motor learning under challenging and/or novel circumstances, possibly reflecting an altered state of anxiety.

A neural pathway for social modulation of spontaneous locomotor activity (SoMo-SLA) in Drosophila

Social enrichment or social isolation affects a range of innate behaviors, such as sex, aggression, and sleep, but whether there is a shared mechanism is not clear. Here, we report a neural mechanism underlying social modulation of spontaneous locomotor activity (SoMo-SLA), an internal-driven behavior indicative of internal states. We find that social enrichment specifically reduces spontaneous locomotor activity in male flies. We identify neuropeptides Diuretic hormone 44 (DH44) and Tachykinin (TK) to be up- and down-regulated by social enrichment and necessary for SoMo-SLA. We further demonstrate a sexually dimorphic neural circuit, in which the male-specific P1 neurons encoding internal states form positive feedback with interneurons coexpressing doublesex (dsx) and Tk to promote locomotion, while P1 neurons also form negative feedback with interneurons coexpressing dsx and DH44 to inhibit locomotion. These two opposing neuromodulatory recurrent circuits represent a potentially common mechanism that underlies the social regulation of multiple innate behaviors.

Environmental enrichments and data-driven welfare indicators for sheltered dogs using telemetric physiological measures and signal processing.

Shelters are stressful environments for domestic dogs which are known to negatively impact their welfare. The introduction of outside stimuli for dogs in this environment can improve their welfare and life conditions. However, our current understanding of the influence of different stimuli on shelter dogs' welfare is limited and the data is still insufficient to draw conclusions. In this study, we collected 28days (four weeks) of telemetry data from eight male dogs housed in an Italian shelter for a long period of time. During this period, three types of enrichment were introduced into the dogs' pens for one week each: entertaining objects, intraspecific, and interspecific social enrichment, by means of the presence of female conspecifics and the presence of a human. To quantify their impact, we introduce novel metrics as indicators of sheltered dogs' welfare based on telemetry data: the variation of heart rate, muscle activity, and body temperature from an average baseline day, quality of sleep, and the regularity for cyclicity of the aforementioned parameters, based on the day-night cycle. Using these metrics, we show that while all three stimuli statistically improve the dogs' welfare, the variance between individual dogs is large. Moreover, our findings indicate that the presence of female conspecific is the best stimulus among the three explored options which improves both the quality of sleep and the parameters' cyclicity. Our results are consistent with previous research findings while providing novel data-driven welfare indicators that promote objectivity. Thus, this research provides some useful guidelines for managing shelters and improving dogs' welfare.

Physical and social environmental enrichment alleviate ferroptosis and inflammation with inhibition of TLR4/MyD88/p38MAPK pathway in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion rats

A typical enriched environment (EE), which combines physical activity and social interaction, has been proven to mitigate cognitive impairment caused by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH). However, it remains unclear how the different components of EE promote cognitive recovery after CCH. This study stripped out the different components of EE into physical environmental enrichment (PE) and social environmental enrichment (SE), and compared the neuroprotective effects of PE, SE and typical EE (PSE) in CCH. The results of novel object recognition and Morris water maze tests showed that PE, SE, and PSE improved cognitive function in CCH rats. Additionally, Nissl and TUNEL staining revealed that three EEs reduced neuronal loss in the hippocampus. PSE exhibited superior neuroprotective and functional improvement effects compared to PE and SE, while there was no significant difference between PE and SE. Furthermore, three EEs reduced lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus with decreasing the levels of MDA and increasing the activities of SOD and GSH. The expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was increased, while the level of p53 was reduced in three EEs. This suggested that three EEs inhibited ferroptosis by maintaining the redox homeostasis in the hippocampus. Three EEs reduced the levels of IL-β, TNF-α, and IL-6, thereby inhibiting neuroinflammation. Additionally, Western blotting and immunofluorescence results indicated that three EEs also inhibited the TLR4/MyD88/p38MAPK signaling pathway. These findings collectively demonstrated that the three EEs alleviated hippocampal ferroptosis and neuroinflammation in CCH rats, thereby reducing neuronal loss, which might be associated with the inhibition of the TLR4/MyD88/p38MAPK signaling pathway. Moreover, the study results supported that it is only through the combination of physical exercise and social interaction that the optimal neuroprotective effects can be achieved. These findings provided valuable insights for the prevention and treatment of vascular cognitive impairment.

Human social enrichment is linked with reduced mortality in artificially reared ewe lambs.

Growth of lambs in an artificial rearing system is key to the economic success of sheep-milking farms. Social enrichment in the form of quiet human contact has been shown to increase growth rates of lambs after weaning, perhaps by reducing stress and enhancing immune function. One hundred fourteen artificially reared dairy ewe lambs were assigned either to a Social condition receiving quiet human company in three 20-min segments per day, or a Control condition without quiet human contact. Feeding and housing conditions were otherwise identical. Starting weights for the Social (M = 6.29kg; SD = 1.19 kg) and Control (M = 6.38kg; SD = 0.93 kg) lambs were the same, as were their weights after 3 weeks (Mcontrol = 8.89 kg, SD = 2.55 kg, Msocial = 8.63 kg, SD = 2.16 kg). Mortality rates were significantly lower (p =0.041) in the Social condition (0%) than Control (8%). Thus, social enrichment may be important for the wellbeing of lambs and for economic viability in lamb-rearing.