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The Mongolian gerbil is recognized as a suitable experimental model for studying epileptiform seizures. About 10-20% of the gerbils provided by animal breeders show convulsions when placed in a new laboratory environment or handled for drug administration. In this review, the usefulness of the gerbil is critically evaluated on the basis of the literature available and our experience. Since gerbils often react with seizures in response to external stimuli we utilized a blast of compressed air. Seven gerbils were tested once weekly, for 15 consecutive weeks, and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded When the animals were challenged by a blast of compressed air they developed seizures, but with varying intensity and frequency. In the first weeks the majority of gerbils did not show seizures but they began to be susceptible to the stimulus from the 5th or 6th week. Four out of 7 animals proceeded to more severe seizures, characterized by clonic-tonic components. The pattern of behavioral seizures was paralleled by changes in the EEG recording. Altogether, data available indicate that the gerbil model is interesting in ethological studies and may be useful for investigating the mechanisms underlying "spontaneous" seizures. In pharmacology, however, the model has some weaknesses which limit its application in the study of new and established antiepileptic drugs

Activity. --- Animal. --- Animals. --- Application. --- Brain vasculature. --- Compressed air electroencephalography. --- Drug. --- Drugs. --- Eeg. --- Environment. --- Epilepsies. --- Epilepsy. --- Experience. --- Frequency. --- Gerbil. --- Gerbils. --- Ischemia. --- Laboratory environment. --- Laboratory. --- Mechanisms. --- Meriones-unguiculatus. --- Model. --- Mongolian gerbil. --- Mongolian-gerbil. --- Pattern. --- Pharmacology. --- Response. --- Review. --- Rodent models. --- Seizure behavior. --- Seizure-susceptibility. --- Seizure. --- Seizures. --- Spontaneous seizure. --- Stimuli. --- Stimulus. --- Time.

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Understanding a species' behaviour in natural conditions can give insights into its development, responses and welfare in captivity. Here, we review research and pest control literatures on the free-living house mouse (Mus musculus), analysing its sensory world, developmental processes and behaviour to suggest how laboratory environments might affect mouse welfare, normalcy, test design, and behaviour. Mouse development from foetus to weaning is influenced by prenatal stress and nutrient levels, and post-natal litter size and other factors affecting maternal care, all with lasting effects on adult bodyweight, aggression, activity levels, stress responsiveness and masculinisation. These influences may well be important in the laboratory, for example unwittingly differing between facilities leading to site-differences in phenotype. Murine senses are dominated by olfactory, auditory and tactile cues. Their hearing extends into the ultrasonic, and vision, from mid-range wavelengths to the ultraviolet. In mouse facilities, behaviour and welfare may therefore also be affected by sensory stimuli unnoticed by humans. The physical and social environment and behaviour of wild mice differ greatly from those of laboratory mice. Dispersal age varies with resource-levels and social cues, and mice often either live alone or in family groups. Mice occupy territories/ranges measuring a few square meters to several square kilometers, and which allow running, climbing, and buff owing. Mice are often active during dawn/dusk, and spend their time patrolling their territories, investigating neighbours' odour cues, foraging, finding mates and rearing litters. The potential impact of these many differences and restrictions on laboratory mouse development, normalcy and welfare has only begun to be explored. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Activity. --- Adult. --- Age. --- Aggression. --- Anogenital distance. --- Auditory. --- Barrel cortex. --- Behaviour. --- Biology. --- Boxes. --- Captivity. --- Care. --- Control. --- Cues. --- Design. --- Development. --- Dispersal. --- Domesticus rutty. --- Environment. --- Environmental enrichment. --- Environments. --- Female mice. --- Foetus. --- Foraging. --- Group. --- Hearing. --- House mouse. --- Human. --- Humans. --- Intrauterine position. --- Island population. --- Laboratory environment. --- Laboratory mice. --- Laboratory mouse. --- Laboratory. --- Level. --- Litter size. --- Major urinary proteins. --- Maternal care. --- Maternal-behavior. --- Maternal-care. --- Maternal. --- Mice. --- Mouse. --- Mus musculus. --- Mus-musculus. --- Musculus. --- Natural. --- Odour. --- Olfactory. --- Parental care. --- Physical. --- Prenatal stress. --- Prenatal. --- Rearing. --- Research. --- Response. --- Responses. --- Restriction. --- Review. --- Senses. --- Sensory biology. --- Sensory. --- Size. --- Social environment. --- Social. --- Standardisation. --- Stimuli. --- Stress. --- Territories. --- Territory. --- Test. --- Time. --- Vary. --- Vision. --- Weaning. --- Welfare. --- Wild.