Refinement Database

Database on Refinement of Housing, Husbandry, Care, and Use of Animals in Research

This database, created in 2000, is updated every four months with newly published scientific articles, books, and other publications related to improving or safeguarding the welfare of animals used in research.

Tips for using the database:

  • This landing page displays all of the publications in the database.
  • Use the drop-down menus to filter these publications by Animal Type, Setting, and/or Topic.
  • Clicking on a parent category (e.g., Rodent) will include publications relating to all the items in that category (e.g., Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, etc.).
  • You may also add a keyword to further narrow your search.
  • Please note that at this time, only publications dated 2010 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Animal Type and Topic, and only publications dated 2020 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Setting. Most publications older than 2010 can only be searched by keyword. 
Corbett, A., McGowin, A., Sieber, S. et al. 2012. A method for reliable voluntary oral administration of a fixed dosage (mg/kg) of chronic daily medication to rats. Laboratory Animals 46(4), 318-324.

Stress can influence a number of physiological processes including adult neurogenesis, metabolism, cardiovascular function, immune function, neurophysiological function, endocrine function and inflammatory processes following injury. In testing drugs which may be used to treat various...

Coke-Murphy, C. S., Saborido, T. P., Buendia, M. et al. 2012. Shelter-style environmental enrichment affects neurobehavioral status of laboratory mice. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 639-640 (Abstract #PS47).

Environmental enrichment aims to improve the wellbeing of laboratory animals and provides an opportunity to improve experimental reliability and validity. Animals raised in more stimulating environments have improved learning and memory as well as more...

Cloutier, S., Panksepp, J., Newberry, R. C. 2012. Playful handling by caretakers reduces fear of humans in the laboratory rat. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 140(3-4), 161-171.

Handling of laboratory rats can increase physiological and emotional stress, leading to a fearful relationship with humans. We hypothesized that the affective quality of handling techniques used during routine care influences the animals' fear of...

Coleman, K. 2012. Individual differences in temperament and behavioral management practices for nonhuman primates. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 137(3-4), 106-113.

This review will examine how individual differences in temperament might affect, or be affected by, behavioral management practices for captive primates. Measuring temperament may help us predict the outcome of social introductions. It can also...

Camacho, J. N., Boskovic, S., Moeller, E. 2012. Improved nonhuman primate social housing using visual cues associated for an intensive research study. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 636-637 (Abstract #PS35).

Lean management-based visual tools have been used to improve the quality of animal care associated with a complex research study involving immune-compromised cynomolgus monkeys (M. fascicularis) in various postsurgical recovery states. In order to effectively...

Blyth, L. 2012. A safe, gentle and effective method of oral dosing guinea-pigs. Animal Technology and Welfare 11, 187-188.

Guinea pigs are difficult to oral gavage dose. Previous adverse effects from this dosing method, using rigid catheters, had caused an earlier endpoint to studies and loss of data. We therefore developed a prototype gag...

Bechard, A., Nicholson, A., Mason, G. 2012. Litter size predicts adult stereotypic behavior in female laboratory mice. JAALAS 51(3), 407-411.

Stereotypic behaviors are repetitive invariant behaviors that are common in many captive species and potentially indicate compromised welfare and suitability as research subjects. Adult laboratory mice commonly perform stereotypic bar-gnawing, route-tracing, and back-flipping, although great...

Baker, K. C. 2012. Implementation of pair housing for laboratory primates. American Journal of Primatology 74(S1), 31. (35th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #20)

There is a general consensus among those studying the welfare of captive primates that social housing is the most effective means for promoting psychological well-being. It is well established that socially-housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)...

Gudsnuk, K., Champagne, F. A. 2012. Epigenetic influence of stress and social environment. ILAR Journal 53(3-4), 279-288.

Animal models of early-life stress and variation in social experience across the lifespan have contributed significantly to our understanding of the environmental regulation of the developing brain. Plasticity in neurobiological pathways regulating stress responsivity, cognition...

Gaskill, B. N., Lucas, J. R., Pajor, E. A. et al. 2012. Heat or insulation: Behavioral titration of mouse preference for warmth or access to a nest. PLOS ONE 7(3), e32799.

In laboratories, mice are housed at 20-24C, which is below their lower critical temperature (30C). This increased thermal stress has the potential to alter scientific outcomes. Nesting material should allow for improved behavioral thermoregulation and...

Ali, A., Dua, Y., Constance, J. E. et al. 2012. A once-per-day, drug-in-food protocol for prolonged administration of antiepileptic drugs in animal models. Epilepsia 53(1), 199-206.

Purpose: Convenient and effective methods for administering potential antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) chronically should facilitate many experiments in animal models of chronic epilepsy with spontaneous recurrent seizures. This proof-of-principle study aimed to optimize a once-per-day, drug-in-food...

Luchins, K. R., Baker, K. C., Gilbert, M. H. et al. 2011. Manzanita wood: A sanitizable enrichment option for nonhuman primates. JAALAS 50(6), 884-887.

Wooden objects are often used as nonhuman primate enrichment to provide variety and novelty, promote exploratory behavior, and supply an outlet for curiosity. However, concerns have been raised regarding the ability to sanitize wood by...

Schapiro, S. J., Bernacky, B. J. 2011. Socialization strategies and disease transmission in captive colonies of nonhuman primates. American Journal of Primatology 74(6), 518-527.

In captive research environments for nonhuman primates (NHP), social housing strategies are often in conflict with protocols designed to minimize disease transmission. This is particularly true in breeding colonies, and is especially relevant when attempting...

Zahorsky-Reeves, J. 2011. The choice of bedding substrate, route of blood collection, and method of glucose determination all affect fasting blood glucose levels in C57BL/6 mice. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 738 (Abstract #PS80).

This study compared 4 bedding substrates (corncob, paper, hardwood chip, and wire-bottomed cage inserts) and 2 routes of blood collection (lateral tail vein and retroorbital sinus) in 6 male C57BL/6NCrl mice. Mice were maintained with...

Bechard, A., Meagher, R., Mason, G. 2011. Environmental enrichment reduces the likelihood of alopecia in adult C57BL/6J mice. JAALAS 50(2), 71-74.

Barbering (incessant grooming) is an abnormal behavior causing alopecia and commonly affects various strains of laboratory mice, including C57BL/6J. Barbering-induced alopecia is a potential symptom of brain impairment and can indicate a stressful environment. We...

Azar, T., Sharp, J., Lawson, D. 2011. Heart rates of male and female Sprague-Dawley and spontaneously hypertensive rats housed singly or in groups. JAALAS 50(2), 75-84.

This study was conducted to confirm our previous reports that group housing lowered basal heart rate and various evoked heart-rate responses in Sprague-Dawley male and female rats and to extend these observations to spontaneously hypertensive...

Abou-Ismail, U. A., Mahboub, H. D. 2011. The effects of enriching laboratory cages using various physical structures on multiple measures of welfare in singly-housed rats. Laboratory Animals 45(3), 145-153.

The single housing of laboratory rats may be recommended in some situations such as hypothesis-driven or test-specific studies, during electroencephalogram recording of phases of sleep and after surgical procedures. However, as single housing of laboratory...

Akiyama, K., Sutoo, D. 2011. Effect of different frequencies of music on blood pressure regulation in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Neuroscience Letters 487(1), 58-60.

The effect of different frequencies of music on brain function was investigated through measurement of blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Previous studies indicated that exposure to Mozart's music (K. 205) leads to increased...

Abou-Ismail, U. A. 2011. Are the effects of enrichment due to the presence of multiple items or a particular item in the cages of laboratory rat? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 134(1-2), 72-82.

Although the effects of environmental enrichment on laboratory rodents have been extensively described, it is not yet known whether these effects were simply due to the presence of multiple items in the cage or due...

Wood, L. L., Boyd, A. M., Rose, R. et al. 2011. Implementation of an enrichment rack for singly housed male nonhuman primates. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 732 (Abstract #PS54).

The racks provide four different levels of horizontal bars where manipulanda can be hung. .. The racks are positioned in front of a 4-caged housing system. .. The enrichment racks have produced an increase in...

Rogge, J. R., Sherenco, K. D., Malling, R. et al. 2011. Establishing a positive reinforcement training program in neotropical primates: A comparison of squirrel and owl monkeys. American Journal of Primatology 73(S1), 84. (34th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #157)

To enhance the psychological well-being of non-human primates, many biomedical facilities use positivereinforcement training (PRT) techniques to encourage voluntary participation in husbandry and clinical procedures.PRT increases the animal?s control over its environment and desensitizes the...

Martin, A. L., Bloomsmith, M. A., Perlman, J. E. 2011. An assessment program to monitor behavior and evaluate treatment of behavioral problems. American Journal of Primatology 73(S1), 85. (34th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #159)

At the Yerkes National Primate Center we have developed a system for behavioral assessment that includes these elements: frequent observation of behavior for all primates with a check sheet-type record; a quantitative system for recording...

Witt, S. L., Plews, C. A., Ruppert, G. et al. 2011. Nylon cylinder: Safe and cost-effective chewable rat enrichment. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 782 (Abstract #P174).

Offering enrichment to stimulate chewing behavior in rats has been found to promote psychologic and physiologic wellbeing. While there are many commercially produced nylon products available for use as chewable enrichment, these items are costly...

Veillette, M., Reebs, S. G. 2011. Shelter choice by Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in the laboratory. Animal Welfare 20(4), 603-611.

The preference of Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) for different in-cage shelters was tested. First, 15 males and 15 females were made to choose between a cage with a shelter and one without. Different shelters were...

Tosa, N., Yoshimatsu, K., Arikawa, J. 2011. Effect of environmental enrichment after the occurrence of wet bedding created by mice and abnormal fur in mice. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 779-780 (Abstract #P161).

In management of laboratory animals, wet bedding created by mice and abnormal fur in mice cause problems on housing, leading to negative effects both on the wellbeing of mice and on the validity of experimental...