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Stereotypy (non-human) - article edit

Onset and persistence

Research in humans suggests that damage to the dorsal basal ganglia can make it very difficult for a person to switch between two motor behaviours, thus they will continuously perform the same behaviour. Similar difficulties in switching between motor behaviours have been seen in bank voles which suggests that basal ganglia dysfunction might be a factor in the development of stereotypies in rodents and other animals.

One of the factors within a captive environment that may affect the establishment of stereotypies is exploratory behaviours that are directed to the outside of a cage. Research suggests that some common stereotypic behaviours seen in mice, wire-gnawing for example, may originate from such exploratory behaviours. It has been noted that when mice climb on the bars of the cage, they frequently attempt to sniff outside the cage by putting their nose between the bars of the cage. During this process, mice will occasionally bite the bars. Over time, the frequency of biting the bar increases will the frequency of sniffing decreases until the mice are left with only the wire-gnawing stereotypy. Although there is strong evidence to suggest that the development of stereotypies is influenced by exploratory behaviours, the mechanisms behind these exploratory behaviours are still unclear. They may be the result of some attractive stimuli outside of the cage or they may result from a motivation to escape the cage.

There is some research that suggests that the persistence of stereotypies might be due to behavioural differences between animals with stereotypies and those without. One of the behavioural differences that has been researched is a higher resistance to extinction seen in animals that exhibit stereotypic behaviours. Resistance to extinction occurs when animals are unable to stop a learned response. Research with domesticated dogs has shown that dogs who exhibit common stereotypic behaviours have higher resistance to extinction in a simple experimental task than other dogs. This correlation suggests that stereotypic behaviours in dogs may have been reinforced in some way early in their development and have persisted because these dogs are highly resistance to extinction.

Animal welfare

The development and continued expression of stereotypies in captive animals can quickly become an animal welfare concern. Section will continue with the existing sentences which were originally part of the "Onset" section starting with "Stereotypies are considered to be one..."

Animal research

Extreme displays of stereotypies can be an animal welfare issue as well as a confound in behavioural research. Since much of the behavioural research done on animals requires the subject to have a certain level of normal behavioural functioning, any stereotypic behaviour exhibited by the subjects could compromise the results. However, expressions of stereotypic behaviour can also present a unique opportunity for researchers. Just as human research into basal ganglia dysfunction provided insight into the development of stereotypies in animals, animal research on stereotypic behaviours may help understand the neuronal mechanisms behind many of the motor stereotypies seen in human clinical populations.

Examples

Stereotypies can also be seen in domesticated animals, such as dogs. Common stereotypic behaviours in dogs include circling, light fixation and fly snapping.

Asiatic black bears and Malayan sun bears also exhibit stereotypies when they are caged. Common stereotypies in these species include head throwing and jaw clamping.

Animal behaviour wikipedia assignments

Peer Review Feedback

In my feedback, it was suggested that I should consider expanding the "solutions" sections of the article because it only has one reference. I have done some searching but I haven't been able to find any solutions to stereotypies other than environmental enrichment. It was also suggested that I look through the domesticated dog page to see if there is any relevant information about stereotypies. There is no information about stereotypies in the page on domesticated dogs but it was also suggested that I could make a link between the two pages, which I might look into.

Topic Evaluation

Stereotypy (non-human)

- provide more examples of non-human stereotypies (wire-gnawing in laboratory mice, common stereotypies in caged bears)

- introduce the idea that some stereotypies are correlated with behavioural persistence and disinhibition (laboratory mice, domesticated dogs)

Sources:

Garner, J.P., Mason, G.J. (2002). Evidence for a relationship between cage stereotypies and behavioural disinhibition in laboratory rodents. Behavioural Brain Res., 136, 83-92.

Protopopova, A., Hall, N.J., Wynne, C.D.L. (2014). Association between increased behavioral persistence and stereotypy in the pet dog. Behavioural Processes, 106, 77-81.

Vickery, S.S., Mason, G.J. (2005). Stereotypy and perseverative responding in caged bears: further data and analyses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 91, 247-260.

Wurbel , H. ; Stauffacher , M. ; Holst , D. Von. (1996). Stereoypies in laboratory mice--quantitative and qualitative description of the ontogeny of 'wire-gnawing' and 'jumping' in Zur:ICR and Zur:ICR nu. Ethology, 102, 371-385.

I think you topic could be included in the Stereotypy (non-human) article. I would suggest expanding beyond wire-gnawing. Given that you are able to provide a few more examples and references, I think you could make a meaningful contribution. Jpethier (talk) 14:54, 13 October 2017 (UTC)jpethier

Wire-Gnawing (Stereotypy in Laboratory Mice)

- Würbel, H ; Freire, R ; Nicol, C.J. (1998). Prevention of stereotypic wire-gnawing in laboratory mice: Effects on behaviour and implications for stereotypy as a coping response. Behavioural Processes, 42, 61-72.

- B. Wechsler. (1995). Coping and coping strategies: a behavioural view. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 43, 123-134

- J. Rushen. (1993). The 'coping' hypothesis of stereotypic behaviour. Anim. Behav., 45, 613-615

- R. Dantzer (1991). Stress, stereotypies and welfare. Behav. Proc., 25, 95-102

- Wurbel , H. ; Stauffacher , M. ; Holst , D. Von. (1996). Stereoypies in laboratory mice--quantitative and qualitative description of the ontogeny of 'wire-gnawing' and 'jumping' in Zur:ICR and Zur:ICR nu. Ethology,102, 371-385

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Article Evaluation for Konrad Lorenz

- in my opinion, there was not enough information about the discoveries that led to Konrad Lorenz being award the Noble Prize

- the article had more information about Lorenz's time with the National Socialists than we discussed in class which makes sense since we were focusing more on this scientific contributions than his political affiliations

- there were too much of the article devoted directly quoting Lorenz's book Civilized Man's Eight Deadly Sins. This was very distracting

- the citation links appear to be working