title: Are you real? Visual simulation of social housing by mirror image stimulation in single housed mice.
abstract: Individual housing of social species is a common phenomenon in laboratory animal facilities. Single housing, however, is known to inflict social deprivation with a number of detrimental consequences. Aiming to improve housing conditions of single housed rodents, we investigated the simulation of social housing by mirrors in a series of behavioural experiments and biochemical parameters in mice. We found that chronic mirror-image stimulation increased exploratory behaviours in the holeboard and novel cage tests, but did not alter anxiety, locomotor, or depression-like behaviours. Moreover, no influence on visual recognition memory was observed. Hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, a biomarker for enrichment effects, were unaltered. In line, mirror-image stimulation did not alter home cage behaviour in mice housed with and without mirrors when left undisturbed. Thus, though we found subtle behavioural effects after long-term mirror exposure, we conclude that the simulation of social housing by mirrors is not sufficient to gain the presumably beneficial outcomes induced by social housing.
authors: RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J 5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany. johannes.fuss@zi-mannheim.de
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: Fuss
authors: S Helene
authors: SH
authors: Richter
authors: Jörg
authors: J
authors: Steinle
authors: Gerald
authors: G
authors: Deubert
authors: Rainer
authors: R
authors: Hellweg
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Gass
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006799:Housing, Animal / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*