Rats, Cars, and Depression: What's in Common?

University of Richmond's Lambert Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory have been training rats to drive cars with fruit loops. While this may seem like a bizarre way to spend a research budget, the study corresponds with human mental health. The rats were separated into two very different environments. One was extremely stimulating, filled with toys and puzzles. The other environment was a standard lab cage. After having lived their lives in their designated cages, they were put into mini cars made from a one- gallon plastic container turned on it’s side. Once inside the car, they rats stood on an aluminium plate and pressed a copper bar to make the car move. Their objective: reach the fruit loops inside the enclosure for a tasty snack. The rats that were raised in the stimulating environment were “more adept at operating and steering the ROV, thanks to the neuroplasticity (their brains' ability to change over time) triggered by their environment. “ ( Scottie Andrew, CNN). When examining their fecal matter, the study’s scientists discovered that both groups of rats secreted higher levels of the hormones corticosterone and DHEA, hormones that control stress responses. These hormones and the way rats respond to stress is very similar to that of the way of humans. These results may contain implications for human health. “Emotional resilience is one of the first lines of defense against mental illnesses like depression...and learning what behaviors build that up could clue physicians on how to treat those illnesses in humans.” (Scottie Andrew, CNN). As far as the rats are concerned, they just want more sugary cereals. 

By: Piper Jenkins

Sources: CNN