Environmental enrichment with nesting material accelerates wound healing in isolation-reared rats.
Early enrichment (EE) programs provide a well-established approach to mitigate the deleterious effects of childhood adversity. To better understand the therapeutic features of EE, in the current study we compared the effect of two forms of nesting material on isolation reared (IR) rats. We found that both materials, absent of social and any other physical enrichment, significantly improved wound healing rates. The results suggest that this animal model may provide useful insights into the critical components of EE.
Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, United States.
Antonia G
AG
Vitalo
Sasikanth
S
Gorantla
Jonathan G
JG
Fricchione
John M
JM
Scichilone
Jennifer
J
Camacho
Steven M
SM
Niemi
John W
JW
Denninger
Herbert
H
Benson
Martin L
ML
Yarmush
John B
JB
Levine
D000818:Animals; D004777:Environment; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012931:Social Environment; D012934:Social Isolation; D014945:Wound Healing