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This study focused on the effects of different enriched environments for mice in a number of behavioral and physiological parameters in two routine laboratory testing procedures -- potency testing for tetanus vaccine and stress induced hyperthermia. The variability in the results was studied by calculating and analyzing mean absolute deviations. Mice from enriched conditions weighed more and consumed more food than mice from standard housing conditions. However, mice from enriched conditions lost more body weight after being housed individually. Other physiological parameters showed no differences. Mice from standard conditions were more active in an open field, suggesting a tendency to over-respond to various stimuli in a testing environment. Mice from enriched environments were more tranquil and easier to handle. The enrichment did not influence the variability in any of the parameters measured, although earlier results and results of other authors suggest that the effects on the variability in results are parameter dependent. When enrichment does not influence variability, there is no reason for not introducing cage enrichment and by doing so contributing to the animals' welfare.

Animal. --- Animals. --- Body weight. --- Body-weight. --- Cage. --- Enriched environment. --- Enriched. --- Enrichment. --- Environment. --- Environmental enrichment. --- Environments. --- Field. --- Food. --- Housing conditions. --- Housing. --- Hyperthermia. --- Laboratory. --- Mice. --- Open field. --- Open-field. --- Parameters. --- Physiological. --- Potency. --- Stimuli. --- Stress. --- Variability. --- Variation. --- Weight. --- Welfare.

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Neurokinin NK1 receptor antagonists may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Species variants in the NK1 receptor result in reduced affinity of NK1 receptor antagonists at rat and mouse NK1 receptors, making it difficult to test NK1 antagonists in traditional preclinical models of anxiety and depression. Gerbil NK1 receptors are similar in homology to the human NK1 receptor. In a companion article, we described the anxiety-like behavioral profile of gerbils on an adapted elevated plus-maze, and the ability of anxiolytic drugs to produce anti-anxiety effects in the gerbil elevated plus-maze. The aim of the present study was to determine whether oral (p.o.) administration of the NK1 receptor antagonists MK-869, L-742,694, L-733,060, CP-99,994, and CP-122,721 produced anxiolytic-like effects in the gerbil elevated plus-maze. Upon testing, all five NK1 antagonists produced anxiolytic-like effects. MK-869 (0.01-3 mg/kg) was the most potent NK1 antagonist, producing anxiolytic-like effects on percentage of open arm time, percentage of open arm entries, stretch-attend postures, and head dips at 0.03-0.3 mg/kg doses. L-742,694 (1-30 mg/ kg) and L-733,060 (1-10 mg/kg) produced anxiolytic-like effects on percentage of open arm time and stretch-attend postures at 3-10 mg/kg doses. CP-99,994 (3-30 mg/kg) only produced an anxiolytic-like effect on stretch-attend postures. CP-122,721 (3-30 mg/kg) produced an anxiolytic-like effect on percentage of open arm time at 30 mg/kg. The order of potency of the NK1 antagonists to increase percentage of open arm time was very similar to their potency to block NK1 agonist-induced foot-tapping. These studies demonstrate that neurokinin NK1 receptor antagonists produce anxiolytic-like effects in a novel gerbil elevated plus-maze, and suggest that this is an appropriate model to test NK1 antagonists for preclinical anxiolytic activity. (C) 2002 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Published by Elsevi

Ability. --- Activity. --- Agonists. --- Anxiety. --- Anxiolytic activity. --- Anxiolytic drugs. --- Anxiolytic-like. --- Behavior. --- Depression. --- Drug. --- Drugs. --- Elevated plus maze. --- Elevated plus-maze. --- Gerbil. --- Gerbils. --- Human. --- Increase. --- Inhibition. --- Model. --- Models. --- Mouse. --- Neurokinin nk1 receptor antagonists. --- Neurokinin nk1 receptor. --- Nk1 receptor antagonists. --- Nkp608. --- Nonpeptide antagonist. --- Pharmacology. --- Posture. --- Potency. --- Rat. --- Rats. --- Receptor antagonist. --- Receptor. --- Receptors. --- Social-interaction test. --- Substance-p receptors. --- Tachykinin. --- Test. --- Time. --- Treatment.