Differential effects of social and physical environmental enrichment on brain plasticity, cognition, and ultrasonic communication in rats.
Open accessAbstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) exerts beneficial effects on brain plasticity, cognition, and anxiety/depression, leading to a brain that can counteract deficits underlying various brain disorders. Because the complexity of the EE commonly used makes it difficult to identify causal aspects, we examined possible factors using a 2 × 2 design with social EE (two vs. six rats) and physical EE (physically enriched vs. nonenriched). For the first time, we demonstrate that social and physical EE have differential effects on brain plasticity, cognition, and ultrasonic communication. Expectedly, physical EE promoted neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation, but not in the subventricular zone, and, as a novel finding, affected microRNA expression levels, with the activity-dependent miR-124 and miR-132 being upregulated. Concomitant improvements in cognition were observed, yet social deficits were seen in the emission of prosocial 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) paralleled by a lack of social approach in response to them, consistent with the intense world syndrome/theory of autism. In contrast, social EE had only minor effects on brain plasticity and cognition, but led to increased prosocial 50-kHz USV emission rates and enhanced social approach behavior. Importantly, social deficits following physical EE were prevented by additional social EE. The finding that social EE has positive whereas physical EE has negative effects on social behavior indicates that pre…
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Beneficial effects of environmental enrichment on social behavior have been shown.
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- Authors
- Brenes, J. C., Lackinger, M., Höglinger, G. U., Schratt, G., Schwarting, R. K. W., & Wöhr, M.
- Affiliations
- Philipps University of Marburg (DE)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Schwarting, Rainer K.W.
- Wöhr, Markus
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Comparative Neurology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-08-10
- Volume
- 524
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1586-1607
- ISSN
- 0021-9967 (ISSN-L)
- 1096-9861
- OpenAlex
- W2124972352
- Cited by
- 155
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 5.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- Locations
- The Journal of Comparative Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Americanae (AECID Library) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- mediaTUM – the media and publications repository of the Technical University Munich (Technical University Munich) (submittedVersion)
- DZNE Pub (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (HO 2402/6-1, SCHR 1136/3-1, SCHW 559/10-1, WO 1732/4-1)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Keywords
- environmental enrichment, social enrichment, physical enrichment, neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, dentate gyrus, hippocampus, subventricular zone, microRNA, miR-124, miR-132, cognition, ultrasonic vocalizations, 50-kHz calls, social approach behavior, social dysfunction, autism spectrum disorder
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Cognition, Housing, Animal, Male, Neuronal Plasticity, Social Environment, Vocalization, Animal, Rats, Wistar, Rats, Neurogenesis
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