ArticleeNeuro
The Contribution of Environmental Enrichment to Phenotypic Variation in Mice and Rats.
Article in eNeuro. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effect of environmental enrichment on behavioral and morphological outcomes following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia in rodent models: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Molecular neurobiology · 2022Pooled it
- Small molecules rescue pathogenic POLGA aggregation and restore its functions in a mouse model of PEO.EMBO molecular medicine · 2026Article
- Complex Three-Dimensional Rearing Environments Amplify Compensatory Plasticity Following Early Blindness.eNeuro · 2026Article
- Of mice and gender: considering gender norms in rodent models.Biology of sex differences · 2026Review
- Impact of Bedding Volume on Cage Microclimate and Behavior in 129SV and Desmin-Knockout (Des-/-) Mice.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Beyond Comfort: A Review of the Critical Role of Bedding Selection in Rodent Welfare, Microenvironment, and Research Reproducibility.Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS · 2026Review
- Shelved cages impact affective behavior in Sprague Dawley rats - implications for animal welfare.Laboratory animals · 2026Article
- Environmental enrichment and physical exercise prevent stress-induced social avoidance and blood-brain barrier alterations via Fgf2.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Environmental enrichment: a neurostimulatory approach to aging and ischemic stroke recovery and rehabilitation.Biogerontology · 2025Review
- Peripubertal antagonism of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 results in sustained changes in behavioral plasticity and the transcriptomic profile of the amygdala.Neuroscience · 2025Article
- Peripubertal antagonism of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 results in sustained changes in behavioral plasticity and the transcriptomic profile of the amygdala.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Stage 2 Registered Report: Refinement of tickling protocols to improve positive animal welfare in laboratory rats.F1000Research · 2025Article
- Behavioral tests for the assessment of social hierarchy in mice.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2025Review
- Environmental enrichment for laboratory rats and mice: endocrine, physiological, and behavioral benefits of meeting rodents' biological needs.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Review
- Antinociceptive Behavior, Glutamine/Glutamate, and Neopterin in Early-Stage Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Neuropathy in Liraglutide-Treated Mice under a Standard or Enriched Environment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Characterization of social hierarchy formation and maintenance in same-sex, group-housed male and female C57BL/6 J mice.Hormones and behavior · 2024Article
- Lockbox enrichment facilitates manipulative and cognitive activities for mice.Open research Europe · 2024Article
- Optimizing environmental enrichment for Sprague Dawley rats: Exemplary insights into the liver proteome.PloS one · 2024Article
- Pair housing does not alter incubation of craving, extinction, and reinstatement after heroin self-administration in female and male rats.Behavioral neuroscience · 2023Article
- Maternal immune activation accelerates puberty initiation and alters mechanical allodynia in male and female C57BL6/J mice.Developmental psychobiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The reproducibility and translation of neuroscience research is assumed to be undermined by introducing environmental complexity and heterogeneity. Rearing laboratory animals with minimal (if any) environmental stimulation is thought to control for biological variability but may not adequately test the robustness of our animal models. Standard laboratory housing is associated with reduced demonstrations of species typical behaviors and changes in neurophysiology that may impact the translation of research results. Modest increases in environmental enrichment (EE) mitigate against insults used to induce animal models of disease, directly calling into question the translatability of our work. This may in part underlie the disconnect between preclinical and clinical research findings. Enhancing environmental stimulation for our model organisms promotes ethological natural behaviors but may simultaneously increase phenotypic trait variability. To test this assumption, we conducted a systematic review and evaluated coefficients of variation (CVs) between EE and standard housed mice and rats. Given findings of suboptimal reporting of animal laboratory housing conditions, we also developed a methodological reporting table for enrichment use in neuroscience research. Our data show that animals housed in EE were not more variable than those in standard housing. Therefore, environmental heterogeneity introduced into the laboratory, in the form of enrichment, does not compromise data integrity. Overall, human life is complicated, and by embracing such nuanced complexity into our laboratories, we may paradoxically improve on the rigor and reproducibility of our research.
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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.