The experiments described here are similar to others being conducted by the same researcher, so I have combined those protocols here.

00A0100 - Sociobiological Factors in Experimental Stroke Outcome - A. Courtney DeVries - Pain Code = 4E
1,587 mice

Lay Abstract - "The currect proposal will examine the effects of prior exposure to positive social interaction versus social stress on the consequences of experimental stroke. ...Ultimately, understanding the factors that modulate neurotoxicity and behavioral outcomes may facilitate the development of therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of stroke in humans."

01A0146 - Stress Effects on Cardiac Arrest in Mice - Pain Code = 4D
444 mice

Lay Abstract - "The goal of the current series of studies is to determine if stress alters the magnitude of brain damage and behavioral disturbance that occurs as a result of cardiac arrest. ...Ultimately, understanding how social factors alter neurotoxicity and behavioral outcomes in mice subjected to cardiac arrest may facilitate the development of therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of stroke in humans."

2003A0059 - Sociobiological Influences on Recovery From Cardiac Arrest - Pain Code = 2E
865 mice

Lay Abstract - "The goal of the current series of studies is to determine if stress, occurring during early development versus adult life, alters the magnitude of brain damage and behavioral disturbances that occurs as a result of cardiac arrest. Ultimately, understanding how social factors alter neurotoxicity and behavioral outcomes in mice subjected to cardiac arrest may facilitate the development of therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of stroke in humans."

All three protocols use social stress and a behavioral evaluation using a swim test.
For social stress, experimental animals were placed in the home cage of a large aggressive male mouse (>30 g). The animals were allowed to interact freely until they engaged in 5 antagonistic "bouts." Then a screen barrier was used to divide the cage in half and separate the 2 animals. The screen prevented additional physical interaction but allowed the animals to continue to make visual and auditory threats. The experimental animal remained in the cage for an additional 45 minutes. On the following 6 days, the experimental animal interacted freely with the aggressive male until 1 aggressive bout occurred, then the 2 animals were separated by the screen for an additional 45 minutes.

Since the protocol initial approval by ILACUC ------

00A0100 - June 7, 2002 approved 216 additional mice. "These mice will be exposed to prenatal stress or post-natal handling and should therefore be more susceptible and less susceptible, respectively, to the influences of stress on stroke outcome."

March 21, 2003 approved 216 additional mice. It appears although unclear due to redacted data that the animals are not surviving the induced stroke as well as the researcher expected.

May 22, 2003 approved 300 additional mice. The experiments are the same as others in the protocol except these mice will also be placed under restraint tube conditions. A note to ILACUC reads, "The psychosocial stress used in the original protocol is male-specific, females don't show territoriality."

So data/information from previously using female mice was not valid? And no discussion with other animal researchers at OSU who use the social interaction method? Hmmmmmm

September 8, 2003 approved 210 additional mice. In addition to the previous procedures in these mice the adrenal gland is removed which now makes this a Multiple Survival Surgery protocol. Another change is that the mice will be killed by cervical dislocation without anesthesia.

Cervical dislocation is performed by picking up the mouse by the base of the tail. The mouse is allowed to grip the bars of a transversely oriented cage top and while pulling gently backwards by the tail, the base of the skull is firmly gripped between thumb and index finger.

01A0146 - a less invasive method for cardiac arrest will be used. Cardiac arrest had been induced by passing an electrical current through the heart via an esophageal tube, now an intubation tube will be used. The tube will be capped such that the oxygen supply is removed.

2003A0059 - August 19 & 22, 2003 approved 94 additional mice. To determine the correlation between rectal, temporalis muscle, and brain cortex temperatures.

And a paper is published suggesting that mice surviving a heart attack may have a difficult time learning.

"DeVries and her colleagues are continuing this work by looking at how different types of social interactions influence the number and health of neurons that survive a heart attack .'We hope that positive social interaction will actually improve the animals' recovery from cardiac arrest,' DeVries said."

There have been human investigations where this newly learned information has already been published.

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A March 2004 amendment to 2003A0059 approved an additional 270 mice and will replace social stress with restraint stress.

A December 2004 amendment to 00A0100 worked to fix the animal numbers and approve additional mice. It was found that this protocol had used 453 more mice than was approved. In order to complete the studies 1,391 additional mice were approved for use. One issue with animal numbers is that only 75% of the mice survive one of the surgeries. This has dropped from a March 2003 amendment where it is noted that 85% of the animals will survive. With all the redacted information in the original protocol it is almost impossible to understand how they are actually creating the Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (stroke) in the animals. But remember, this is a "4E" protocol.

February 2005 - additional animals are requested and approved for protocol 00A0100.

54 mice to determine if social interaction improves stroke outcome in female mice. "Our data shows that male mice benefit from pair housing but recent studies in the literature (looking at humans or animals - what do you think?) suggest that males and females respond differently to the factors and drugs that affect stroke outcome." Really - hmmm you mean men and women are different. Glad to see they're catching up with the rest of the human medical community.

81 rats - "The paired mice have smaller infarcts than socially isolated mice. ...C-reactive protein (CRP) ... was found to be elevated in socially isolated mice. We would like to determine whether CRP is a merely a marker of poor outcome or if the relationship between CRP and infarct size is casual. (This is an ongoing controversy in human stroke and heart attack literature but can not be directly tested in humans). "

120 hamsters - a new species added to the protocol. "To determine if time of day affects stroke outcome. Experimental stroke will be induced at 6 hr intervals." All procedures conducted on the animals are the same as the rats and mice. The only difference is that stroke will be induced at different times of day or subjective year.

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March 17, 2005 and ILACUC approves another "121 mice to be used to study the effects of extended maternal separation" for protocol 00A0100. The pups will begin separation 1 day post-birth for 3 hrs per day.