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. 2023 Aug 3:17:1228478.
doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1228478. eCollection 2023.

Making a case for the free exploratory paradigm: animal welfare-friendly assays that enhance heterozygosity and ecological validity

Michael H Parsons #  1 , Rafal Stryjek #  2 , Markus Fendt  3 , Yasushi Kiyokawa  4 , Piotr Bebas  5 , Daniel T Blumstein  6
Affiliations

Making a case for the free exploratory paradigm: animal welfare-friendly assays that enhance heterozygosity and ecological validity

Michael H Parsons et al. Front Behav Neurosci. .
No abstract available

Keywords: animal welfare; behavioral protocols; laboratory mice; laboratory rats; research animals; rodents.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Field FEP comprised of free ranging animals with continuous surveillance using passive microchip readers and video recorders in an urban environment. (A) Mobile outdoor laboratory; (B) gas anesthesia system for RFID implantation; (C) antennas placed within “rat runways”; (D) natural (non-modified) landscape within an urban warehouse setting.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Field FEP in natural conditions demonstrating an assay that eliminates all animal handling. Laboratory-style boxes used for a study on free-ranging rodents (Apodemus mice; A. agrarius and A. flavicollis). (A, B) Two wooden chambers deployed near mice's habitat. (C) The inside of the experimental chamber with floor covered with sand layer and chocolate cream as a bait. (D) Video-still showing yellow-necked mice (A. flavicollis) during social interaction inside one of the chambers. (E) Video still showing yellow-necked mice during social interaction near the entrance pipes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Homecage (left), sorter system (middle), and touchscreen box (right). (B) Touchscreen box with pictures of a compound discrimination task on the screen (part of the attentional set shifting task measuring cognitive flexibility).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Infographic relating a few generalized types of hypotheses that can be addressed in a range of FEP assays in either the laboratory or the field. As more people work within this paradigm, more types of research questions will be addressed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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