Table 1.
Studies investigating the effects of environmental enrichment on the hippocampus in non-neurodegenerative models of rodents
| Rodent species | Gender | Age of enrichment | Duration of enrichment | Housing conditions | Findings | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mouse (C57B16/J) | Female | P28 (prepubertal) | 11 months |
Running wheels, tunnels, houses, toys N = 7 per cage |
• ↑ CA1 and dentate gyrus volume • ↑ dentate gyrus neurons • ↑ genes associated with synaptic plasticity and transcription regulation |
[52] |
| Rat (Wistar) | Male | P21 (Prepubertal) | 40 days |
Tunnels, cylinders, metal/plastic objects, running wheel, nesting materials N = 10 per cage |
• ↑ volume in the ventral hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex | [276] |
| Rat (Sprague–Dawley) | Male | 21 months (aged) | 3 weeks |
Toys, cylinders, tunnels, metal/plastic objects N = 3 per cage |
• ↑ synaptic plasticity through induction of LTP and long-term depression (LTD) | [61] |
| Rat (Sprague–Dawley) | Male | P28–30 (prepubertal) | 3–5 months |
Tunnels, ladders, boxes, plastic toys N = 4 per cage |
• No changes in LTP in the CA1 region and dentate gyrus • ↓ LTD, ↓ depotentiation and altered paired-pulse inhibition of the population spike |
[272] |
| Mouse (C57BL/6JRj) | Female | 5 weeks (pubertal) | 6 months |
Toys, tunnels, and hideouts N = 40 per group |
• ↑ hippocampal neurogenesis • ↑ synaptic plasticity through upregulation of genes involved in neuronal plasticity |
[273] |
| Rat (Sprague–Dawley) | Male | P21 (prepubertal) | 13 weeks |
Aspen wood bedding, 3 running wheels, climbing ladder, slide tunnel, 6 mazes N = 12 per group |
• ↑ hippocampal neurogenesis • ↑ cortical thickness • ↑ expression of genes involved in brain plasticity |
[270] |
| Rat (Wistar) | Male | 1.5–2 months (adult) | 10 days |
Toys, ladders, and tunnels N = 10–12 per group |
• ↑ synaptic plasticity through induction of LTP | [277] |
| Mouse (C57B16/N) | Female | 6–8 weeks old (pubertal and adult) | 4 weeks |
Toys, houses, maze-like tube system N = 10 per cage |
• ↑ hippocampal neurogenesis | [45] |
| Mouse (BalbC) | Female | 6 months old (adult) | 45 days |
Tunnels, running wheel, pieces of wood, nesting materials, small plastic houses with stairs N = 10 per cage |
• ↑ hippocampal neurogenesis • ↑ synaptic plasticity through increased dendritic spines |
[46] |
| Mouse (Fgfr1T2A−H2B−GFP and Fgfr2T2A−H2B−mCherry) | Male & female | 2 months old (adult) | 10/14 days |
Two running wheels, three tunnels, water and food station, standard bedding, bedding squares N = 10 per cage |
• ↑ hippocampal neurogenesis | [48] |