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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Deneb on November 15, 2005, at 22:22:25
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/051115_hamsterfrm.htm
Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests
Nov. 15, 2005
Courtesy Ohio State University
and World Science staffA new study suggests hamsters suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression during the dark days of winter, just as some humans do.
Researchers compared hamsters housed for weeks under winter-like lighting conditions to those who had days with longer daylight. The scientists found more symptoms of depression and anxiety in the first group.
The study also suggested hamsters born in winter-like light conditions had increased depressive symptoms as adults, according to the researchers.
The findings “may provide some insight into the development of seasonal affective disorders in humans,” said Randy Nelson of Ohio State University, a co-author of the study. Nelson and doctoral student Leah Pyter presented the findings Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C. at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
The study involved 53 female and 48 male Siberian hamsters.
At about 60 days of age, the hamsters began a series of tests that are used to measure anxiety and depression in the animals. Many of these tests are the same ones used by pharmaceutical companies to test anti-depressive and anti-anxiety drugs in animals before they are used in humans, Nelson said.
Tests for anxiety included one in which hamsters are placed in a large box and viewed for 60 minutes to see how much time they spend in the middle versus near the walls. Anxious hamsters will spend more time along the walls, where they feel more protected, while less anxious animals will explore the entire box.
Among the tests for depression was one in which they measured how much of a sugar drink hamsters drank over the course of several days. Hamsters generally like this drink, but hamsters with depressive-like symptoms will not drink as much.
“We found that the amount of light hamsters were exposed to prenatally and up through weaning did have enduring effects on behavior in adulthood,” Pyter said. “But these effects were tempered quite a bit by whether they spent their time as adults in long days or short days.”
Research in humans also suggests people who are born during the winter are more likely to suffer from depression as adults, according to Nelson. The results in hamsters weren’t clear-cut, but they did point in a similar direction, the researchers aid. “A lot more work needs to be done,” Nelson added.
Also, female hamsters showed more evidence of depression than males, which corresponds to research in humans which shows more depression among women than men, Nelson said.
Pyter said future studies will examine whether drugs used to treat anxiety and depression will reduce seasonal anxiety and depressive-like symptoms in hamsters. Nelson added that they will also look at the role of seasonal changes in stress hormones and brain chemicals in depression and anxiety in hamsters.
Posted by Tabitha on November 15, 2005, at 23:52:25
In reply to Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests, posted by Deneb on November 15, 2005, at 22:22:25
Fascinating. I hope no hamsters were injured in this study.
So are you going to put a light over Hammy's cage now?
Posted by alexandra_k on November 16, 2005, at 2:17:50
In reply to Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests, posted by Deneb on November 15, 2005, at 22:22:25
i think its funny that depression=not drinking much sugar water
and anxiety=running close to the walli remember doing a study where rats were given amphetamines and we watched a video of them... more running around the room was supposed to=anxiety
running close to the wall wasn't because...
that wasn't as 'exploratory' apparantly...but oh well.
its 'depression' or 'anxiety' if you define it as such i suppose...;-)
Posted by Deneb on November 16, 2005, at 21:33:37
In reply to Re: Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests, posted by Tabitha on November 15, 2005, at 23:52:25
> Fascinating. I hope no hamsters were injured in this study.
Me too...although I'm sure there are rules and regulations in place to ensure their welfare.
> So are you going to put a light over Hammy's cage now?:-( Hammy has passed away...now I have Sophie. :-)
LOL, I don't think I need to go that far with my hamsters...not sure if the sunlight thing is applicable to grown up hamsters. Sophie is still growing, not sure if light would make her happier. She seems to prefer the dark in my opinion. :-)
Deneb
Posted by Deneb on November 16, 2005, at 21:39:31
In reply to Re: Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests, posted by alexandra_k on November 16, 2005, at 2:17:50
> i think its funny that depression=not drinking much sugar water
> and anxiety=running close to the wallMe too. :-)
How can they conclude anxiety or depression from those behaviours? It seems awfully inaccurate!
Golly...this is how they test antidepressants and anti-anxiety agents?
> i remember doing a study where rats were given amphetamines and we watched a video of them... more running around the room was supposed to=anxiety
Hmmm...I think we need a rodent whisperer...
> but oh well.
> its 'depression' or 'anxiety' if you define it as such i suppose...Yup...oh well...whatever the definition is...good enough for me!
Deneb
Posted by alexandra_k on November 16, 2005, at 21:54:36
In reply to Re: Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests » alexandra_k, posted by Deneb on November 16, 2005, at 21:39:31
> How can they conclude anxiety or depression from those behaviours? It seems awfully inaccurate!
now now...
best not undermine these kinds of studies...
> Golly...this is how they test antidepressants and anti-anxiety agents?yeah.
pretty scarey huh.
Posted by javableue on November 16, 2005, at 22:26:36
In reply to Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests, posted by Deneb on November 15, 2005, at 22:22:25
This reminds me, for some reason, of this student research project where they tested the effects of Ritalin on aggressive behaviour in Siamese fighting fish...
http://webs.wofford.edu/davisgr/bio250/kcgrant4.doc
http://webs.wofford.edu/davisgr/bio250/presentations.htm#codispoti (abstract)Doing searches for Biology projects can yield strange things. Here's a link I found about... well, I guess the title of "fruit fly fight club" says all:
http://labworks.hms.harvard.edu/fruit_fly/thriller/
jb
Posted by Tabitha on November 17, 2005, at 1:06:37
In reply to Re: Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests » Tabitha, posted by Deneb on November 16, 2005, at 21:33:37
Oh, I'm sorry I missed the news of Hammy's passing. Glad you have a cute new baby hamster. What color is she?
As a kid I had one named Suzy that was a color I called baby-aspirin pink. I always check pet stores for that color hamster but I've never seen another one like her.
Posted by Deneb on November 22, 2005, at 23:05:18
In reply to Re: Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests » Deneb, posted by Tabitha on November 17, 2005, at 1:06:37
> What color is she?
She a sort of creamy beige colour.
> As a kid I had one named Suzy that was a color I called baby-aspirin pink. I always check pet stores for that color hamster but I've never seen another one like her.
I've never seen a baby-aspirin pink hamster before. She must have been beautiful. :-)
Deneb
Posted by alexandra_k on November 23, 2005, at 0:33:03
In reply to Re: Hamsters get depressed and anxious, study suggests » Tabitha, posted by Deneb on November 22, 2005, at 23:05:18
food colouring should do it (and it is nice and non-toxic and washes out eventually)
;-)
we dyed my friends collie dog red and green for christmas one year
(and achieved an interesting pink effect)
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