Because the "exact nature of the environmental enrichment protocols used varies widely between laboratories, and is not fully described in published experimental methods", Nithianantharajah and Hannan, Nat Rev Neurosci, 2006,7:697.
COMPLEXITY
Moving through a maze is motivated by the need to find food: water and pellets are placed in two separated compartments.
ACTIVITY
Increased activity is encouraged by the enlarged exploration area & free access to running wheels.
NOVELTY
Maze is changed 3 times a week (12 configurations available).
WELLBEING
Social interactions are promoted by the housing together of a large number of animals (12 / cage).
A red tunnel protects them from light during the resting period.
Validation of the Marlau
After one week of breading, exploratory behavior of each rat has been tested in a watermaze task. Swimming path was assessed by VideoTrack system (ViewPoint). The total swimming distance and duration were measured.
What has been shown is that Marlau rodents exhibit a greater exploratory behavior in the central area in terms of time and distance traveled.
Rodent housed in Marlau are less sensitive to stress and will provide more accurate results to the researcher.
