Behavioral and Transcriptomic Fingerprints of an Enriched Environment in Horses (Equus caballus).
Abstract: The use of environmental enrichment (EE) has grown in popularity over decades, particularly because EE is known to promote cognitive functions and well-being. Nonetheless, little is known about how EE may affect personality and gene expression. To address this question in a domestic animal, 10-month-old horses were maintained in a controlled environment or EE for 12 weeks. The control horses (n = 9) lived in individual stalls on wood shaving bedding. They were turned out to individual paddocks three times a week and were fed three times a day with pellets or hay. EE-treated horses (n = 10) were housed in large individual stalls on straw bedding 7 hours per day and spent the remainder of the time together at pasture. They were fed three times a day with flavored pellets, hay, or fruits and were exposed daily to various objects, odors, and music. The EE modified three dimensions of personality: fearfulness, reactivity to humans, and sensory sensitivity. Some of these changes persisted >3 months after treatment. These changes are suggestive of a more positive perception of the environment and a higher level of curiosity in EE-treated horses, explaining partly why these horses showed better learning performance in a Go/No-Go task. Reduced expression of stress indicators indicated that the EE also improved well-being. Finally, whole-blood transcriptomic analysis showed that in addition to an effect on the cortisol level, the EE induced the expression of genes involved in cell growth and proliferation, while the control treatment activated genes related to apoptosis. Changes in both behavior and gene expression may constitute a psychobiological signature of the effects of enrichment and result in improved well-being. This study illustrates how the environment interacts with genetic information in shaping the individual at both the behavioral and molecular levels.
Publication Date: 2014-12-10 PubMed ID: 25494179PubMed Central: PMC4262392DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114384Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This study explores the impact of Environmental Enrichment (EE) on horses’ personality and gene expression. The findings suggest that an enriching environment modifies three dimensions of a horse’s personality – fearfulness, reactivity towards humans, and sensory sensitivity – and activates genes related to cell growth and proliferation.
Objective of the Study
- The primary goal of this research was to investigate the psychological and genetic effects of Environmental Enrichment (EE) on horses. Environmental Enrichment (EE) is the practice of providing animals with stimuli to enhance their well-being and cognitive functionality.
Methodology of the Study
- Two groups of 10-month-old horses were studied for 12 weeks; one group was kept in a controlled environment while the other experienced an Enriched Environment (EE).
- The control group of nine horses lived in individual stalls on wood shaving bedding, were turned out to paddocks three times a week, and fed three times a day with pellets or hay.
- The EE-treated group of ten horses lived in bigger individual stalls on straw bedding for seven hours daily and spent the rest of the time together at pasture. They were fed three times a day with flavored pellets, hay, or fruit, and exposed daily to assorted objects, odors, and music.
Results of the Study
- The study found that the Enriched Environment had significant effects on the horses’ personalities. It modified three dimensions of personality – fearfulness, reactivity to humans, and sensory sensitivity. Some of these personality changes persisted for more than three months after the treatment.
- The improved environmental conditions led to a more positive outlook on the environment and a heightened degree of curiosity in EE-treated horses.
- The EE-treated horses also demonstrated superior performance in a Go/No-Go task, which is a behavioral test for animals.
- Fewer stress indicators were noticed in the horses kept in the EE, implying an improvement in their overall well-being.
Gene Expression Changes
- Besides influencing the horses’ behaviors, the EE also induced changes in their gene expression. It triggered the expression of genes linked to cell growth and proliferation.
- On the contrary, the control environment activated genes related to apoptosis or programmed cell death.
- The difference in gene expression between the two groups highlights the potential of the environment to interact with genetic information, thereby shaping the individual at both the behavioral and molecular levels.
Conclusions of the Study
- The changes in the horses’ behavior and gene expression due to exposure to an enriched environment demonstrate a psychobiological signature of environmental enrichment, resulting in improved well-being.
- This study emphasizes the importance of environmental factors and their interaction with genetic information in defining an individual’s behavior and molecular composition.
Cite This Article
APA
Lansade L, Valenchon M, Foury A, Neveux C, Cole SW, Layé S, Cardinaud B, Lévy F, Moisan MP.
(2014).
Behavioral and Transcriptomic Fingerprints of an Enriched Environment in Horses (Equus caballus).
PLoS One, 9(12), e114384.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0114384 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France; CNRS, UMR7247 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France; Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France; IFCE, Nouzilly, France.
- INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France; CNRS, UMR7247 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France; Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France; IFCE, Nouzilly, France.
- INRA, Nutrition et neurobiologie intégrée, UMR 1286, Bordeaux, France; Université Bordeaux, Nutrition et neurobiologie intégrée, UMR 1286, Bordeaux, France.
- INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France; CNRS, UMR7247 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France; Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France; IFCE, Nouzilly, France.
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States of America.
- INRA, Nutrition et neurobiologie intégrée, UMR 1286, Bordeaux, France; Université Bordeaux, Nutrition et neurobiologie intégrée, UMR 1286, Bordeaux, France.
- INSERM, U1035, Biothérapies des Maladies Génétiques et Cancers, Bordeaux and Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux, Talence, France.
- INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France; CNRS, UMR7247 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly, France; Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France; IFCE, Nouzilly, France.
- INRA, Nutrition et neurobiologie intégrée, UMR 1286, Bordeaux, France; Université Bordeaux, Nutrition et neurobiologie intégrée, UMR 1286, Bordeaux, France.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Feed / analysis
- Animal Husbandry / methods
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal
- Cognition / physiology
- Environment
- Environmental Exposure
- Female
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Horses / physiology
- Hydrocortisone / analysis
- Learning Curve
- Male
- Personality
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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