To examine increase in general activity through rearing in enriched environment, an experiment was performed with using 15 male rats and 12 female rats immediately after weaning. Nine experimental male animals were reared from 25 to 104-day-old in the enriched environment cage measured 1, 000 × 1, 000 × 450mm covered with wire netting (Fig. 1). Six control male animals and 12 control female animals were reared 6 in group in the standard laboratory group cage measured 410 × 270 × 150 mm covered with wire netting.
One hundred-day-old animals were subjected to 5 minutes DENENBERG (4, 5) type open-field test for 3 days. It was found that experimental male animals were significantly more active than the control male animals (Fig. 3, Table 1). Control female amimals were also significantly more active than the control male animals (Fig. 3, Table 2). Control female animals ambulated as equally as male control, however, in the first test day. Their activity increased significantly as the test day proceeded. Sex × test days interaction was also significant. There was no significant enrichment effect in open-field defecation and urination scores (Table 3, Table 4).
On fourth and fifth days, behavior was measured in the activity wheel for 20 minutes. Although it did not reached level of significance, experimental male animals were more active than control male (Fig. 5). Enrichment × test days interaction was significant. Control female ran extremely greater than the control male and the difference was highly significant. Lastly, the growth curve of weight indicated that control male were heavier than experimental male (Fig. 2).
In discussion, reasons for contradictory result of SMITH (29), namely control rats were more active in open-field test, were considered. It was pointed out that SMITH (29) restricted control animals in individual cages. Restriction increases also open-field activity as MELZACK (19, 20), FUJITA and HARA (7) and MITANI (24) 's results.
It was concluded that “enrichment” increases general activity, namely psychologically positive activity, and “restriction” produces hyperactivity, namely psychologically negative activity. This suggestion is also found in WHIMBEY and DENENBERG (32) 's two factor theory of open-field activity and MITANI (23, 24) 's implication.
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