ArticleJournal of animal science2012
Physiological effects of housing density on C57BL/6J mice over a 9-month period.
Article in Journal of animal science, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Age-related changes and lack of effect of midlife resistance wheel exercise on afferent connectivity of lumbar alpha motor neurons in ageing mouse spinal cord.Biogerontology · 2025Article
- Understanding the impact of moxifloxacin on immune function: Findings from cytokine analyses and immunological assays in mice.PloS one · 2025Article
- Splint-free line drawing model: An innovative method for excisional wound models.International wound journal · 2023Article
- Oral probiotic therapy improves motor function in a rodent model of sensorimotor stroke.Experimental brain research · 2023Article
- Randomization, design and analysis for interdependency in aging research: no person or mouse is an island.Nature aging · 2022Article
- Reduced housing density improves statistical power of murine gut microbiota studies.Cell reports · 2022Article
- The social instability stress paradigm in rat and mouse: A systematic review of protocols, limitations, and recommendations.Neurobiology of stress · 2021Review
- Review
- Physiological and anatomical aspects of the reproduction of mice with reduced Syndecan-1 expression.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2019Article
- Recommended housing densities for research mice: filling the gap in data-driven alternatives.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2019Review
- Manipulation of Ambient Housing Temperature To Study the Impact of Chronic Stress on Immunity and Cancer in Mice.Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) · 2019Review
- Living inside the box: environmental effects on mouse models of human disease.Disease models & mechanisms · 2018Review
- The influence of caging, bedding, and diet on the composition of the microbiota in different regions of the mouse gut.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Effects of Breeding Configuration on Maternal and Weanling Behavior in Laboratory Mice.Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS · 2017Article
- Nutrition and energetics in rodent longevity research.Experimental gerontology · 2016Review
- Article
- Interactions Between Housing Density and Ambient Temperature in the Cage Environment: Effects on Mouse Physiology and Behavior.Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS · 2015Article
- Nasal Histopathology and Intracage Ammonia Levels in Female Groups and Breeding Mice Housed in Static Isolation Cages.Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS · 2015Article
- The Effects of Acute Blood Loss for Diagnostic Bloodwork and Fluid Replacement in Clinically Ill Mice.Comparative medicine · 2015Article
- Housing temperature-induced stress drives therapeutic resistance in murine tumour models through β2-adrenergic receptor activation.Nature communications · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The NRC has consistently recommended floor space for animals used in science and agriculture. For mice, the recommended floor space is 77.4 cm(2) (12 in(2)) for a 15- to 25-g mouse. The NRC noted that its recommendations were based on "best professional judgment" and encouraged alternatives that were data driven. As part of a continual effort of The Jackson Laboratory to ensure the health and well-being of production and research mice, while promoting cost-effective, state-of-the-art research, several density-driven studies have been conducted by lab researchers. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of housing density on variables related to mouse physiology and air quality in cages and assess the value of specific measured variables in such studies. In the present study, we monitored C57BL/6J mice in individually ventilated cages from weaning until 9 mo of age. Housing densities were equivalent to 66.4 or 36.8 cm(2) per mouse (10.3 or 5.7 in(2)). Clinical physiological variables representing general health and well-being were measured. Hematological traits, plasma lipids, and glucose, growth, bone mineral density, and percent body fat did not differ between housing densities. In the more densely housed mice, however, adrenal glands were significantly smaller, heart rates were significantly less, and food consumption was less. Cage air microenvironment was evaluated for ammonia, carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity in cages changed weekly or every 2 wk. The cage microenvironment remained within acceptable limits at the higher density of mice at both cage-changing frequencies. The results suggest that mice housed for as long as 9 mo at up to twice the density currently recommended by NRC show no measurable adverse effects. Continued re-evaluation of the recommendation by measuring additional relevant variables of health and general well-being, and studying additional strains of mice is warranted.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.