Abstract
Enriched environments with opportunities for social and object interactions improve performance on complex behavioral tasks and the structure of the brain in rodents when compared with individuals housed alone or in small social groups. Although the largest changes can be seen in young animals, enrichment can induce plasticity at any point in the lifespan. Recent studies indicate that enrichment ameliorates neural problems and that the effects can be extended to primates, including humans.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition |
Publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
Pages | 835-840 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780080970875 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780080970868 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 26 2015 |
Keywords
- Aging
- Dendrite
- Enriched environment
- Environment
- Exercise
- Hippocampus
- Isolation
- Maze
- Sex difference
- Social
- Synapse
- Visual cortex
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Social Sciences