The effects of short-term and long-term environmental enrichment on locomotion, mood-like behavior, cognition and hippocampal gene expression

Abstract

Background: Environmental enrichment (EE)has been shown to modulate behavior and hippocampal gene expression; however, the currently available literature does not explain the differential effects that may relate to the duration of EE. Aim: To investigate the differential effects of short- and long-term EE on locomotion, anxiety-, depressive- and cognition-like behaviors, and hippocampal gene expression under physiological conditions. Methods: We assigned either short-term or long-term intervention with respective controls to healthy C57BL/6 mice (n = 12–16/group). The short-term EE group received EE for four weeks starting at eight months of age, while the long-term EE group received EE for ..