Biomaterial Database

Environmental enrichment reduces food seeking and taking in rats: A review. 2020

Jeffrey W Grimm, and Frances Sauter

Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA. Electronic address: jeff.grimm@wwu.edu.

Environmental enrichment (EE) for rodents is generally defined as providing subjects with an environment enhanced with access to conspecifics, novel and tactile stimuli, and in many preparations, more space. EE exposure, in particular as an "intervention" in adult rodents, decreases food and drug seeking and taking. This review focuses on the reduction of sucrose seeking and taking in rats assessed in operant-based procedures. The operant-based model provides a means to evaluate addiction-related behaviors. Findings using the model might translate to clinically-relevant addiction behaviors directed towards both drugs and food. Both overnight (acute) and one month (chronic) EE effects on behavior are described, including a recent evaluation of the persistence of EE effects following its removal. EE effects on neurobiology related to sucrose seeking using the model are outlined, with a special emphasis on meso-cortico-limbic terminals. Overall, our working hypothesis for how EE reduces sucrose seeking and taking is that EE alters processing of incentive valence. This may also be accompanied by changes in learning and affect. Anti-seeking and anti-taking effects of EE have translational implications for the prevention and treatment of both drug addiction and food-focused behaviors ("food addiction").

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D003216	Conditioning, Operant	Learning situations in which the sequence responses of the subject are instrumental in producing reinforcement. When the correct response occurs, which involves the selection from among a repertoire of responses, the subject is immediately reinforced.	Instrumental Learning,Learning, Instrumental,Operant Conditioning,Conditionings, Operant,Instrumental Learnings,Learnings, Instrumental,Operant Conditionings
D003463	Cues	Signals for an action; that specific portion of a perceptual field or pattern of stimuli to which a subject has learned to respond.	Cue
D005502	Food	Substances taken in by the body to provide nourishment.	Foods
D000073932	Food Addiction	A cluster of chemical dependencies to specific foods or food in general in which there develops a physical craving for these foods.	Compulsive Eating,Eating, Compulsive,Food Addictions
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001070	Appetitive Behavior	Animal searching behavior. The variable introductory phase of an instinctive behavior pattern or sequence, e.g., looking for food, or sequential courtship patterns prior to mating.	Searching Behavior,Appetitive Behaviors,Behavior, Appetitive,Behavior, Searching,Behaviors, Appetitive,Behaviors, Searching,Searching Behaviors
D012646	Self Administration	Administration of a drug or chemical by the individual under the direction of a physician. It includes administration clinically or experimentally, by human or animal.	Administration, Self,Administrations, Self,Self Administrations
D013395	Sucrose	A nonreducing disaccharide composed of GLUCOSE and FRUCTOSE linked via their anomeric carbons. It is obtained commercially from SUGARCANE, sugar beet (BETA VULGARIS), and other plants and used extensively as a food and a sweetener.	Saccharose
D016739	Behavior, Addictive	The observable, measurable, and often pathological activity of an organism that portrays its inability to overcome a habit resulting in an insatiable craving for a substance or for performing certain acts. The addictive behavior includes the emotional and physical overdependence on the object of habit in increasing amount or frequency.	Addictive Behavior,Addictive Behaviors,Behaviors, Addictive