Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Published in: Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 3/2010

Open Access 01-09-2010 | Article

Using animal models of enriched environments to inform research on sensory integration intervention for the rehabilitation of neurodevelopmental disorders

Authors: Stacey Reynolds, Shelly J. Lane, Lorie Richards

Published in: Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders | Issue 3/2010

Login to get access

Abstract

The field of behavioral neuroscience has been successful in using an animal model of enriched environments for over five decades to measure the rehabilitative and preventative effects of sensory, cognitive and motor stimulation in animal models. Several key principles of enriched environments match those used in sensory integration therapy, a treatment used for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This paper reviews the paradigm of environmental enrichment, compares animal models of enriched environments to principles of sensory integration treatment, and discusses applications for the rehabilitation of neurodevelopmental disorders. Based on this review, the essential features in the enriched environment paradigm which should be included in sensory integration treatment are multiple sensory experiences, novelty in the environment, and active engagement in challenging cognitive, sensory, and motor tasks. Use of sensory integration treatment may be most applicable for children with anxiety, hypersensitivity, repetitive behaviors or heightened levels of stress. Additionally, individuals with deficits in social behavior, social participation, or impairments in learning and memory may show gains with this type of treatment.
Literature
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Washington: American Psychiatric Association, Inc.; 2000.
Ayres AJ. Sensory integration and the child. 13th ed. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services; 1998.
Baranek GT. Efficacy of sensory and motor interventions for children with autism. J Autism Dev Dis. 2002;32:397–422.CrossRef
Baranek GT, David FJ, Poe MD, Stone WL, Watson LR. Sensory experiences questionnaire: discriminating sensory features in young children with autism, developmental delays, and typical development. J Child Psychol Psych. 2006;47:591.CrossRef
Beitel R, Schreiner C, Cheung S, Wang X, Merzenich M. Reward-dependent plasticity in the primary auditory cortex of adult monkeys trained to discriminate temporally modulated signals. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2003;100:11070–5.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
Berman RF, Hannigan JH, Sperry MA, Zajac CS. Prenatal alcohol exposure and the effects of environmental enrichment on hippocampal dendritic spine density. Alcohol. 1996;13(2):209–16.PubMedCrossRef
Bezzi P, Gunderson V, Galbete JL, Seifert G, Steinhauser C, PIlati E, et al. Astrocytes contain a vesicular compartment that is competent for regulated exocytosis of glutamate. Nat Neurosci. 2004;7:613–20.PubMedCrossRef
Blake DT, Heiser MA, Caywood M, Merzenich MM. Experience-dependent adult cortical plasticity requires cognitive association between sensation and reward. Neuron. 2006;52:371–81.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
Bohm HV, Stewart MG. Brief report: On the concordance percentages for autistic spectrum disorder of twins. J Autism Dev Disord. 2009;39:806–8.PubMedCrossRef
Bose M, Munoz-Llancao P, Roychowhury S, Nichols JA, Jakkamsetti V, Porter B, et al. Effect of the environment on the dendritic morphology of the rat auditory cortex. Synapse. 2010;64:97–110.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
Breedlove MS, Rosenzweig MR, Watson NV, editors. Biological psychology: an introduction to behavioral, cognitive and clinical neuroscience. 5th ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Acssociates, Inc.; 2007.
Brown J, Cooper-Kuhn CM, Kempermann G, Van Praag H, Winkler J, Gage FH, et al. Enriched environment and physical activity stimulate hippocampal but not olfactory bulb neurogenesis. Eur J Neurosci. 2003;17:2042–6.PubMedCrossRef
Bruel-Jungerman E, Laroche S, Rampon C. New neurons in the dentate gyrus are involved in the expression of enhanced long-term memory following environmental enrichment. Eur J Neurosci. 2005;21:513–21.PubMedCrossRef
Christodoulou J, Williamson SL. Rett syndrome: New clinical and molecular insights. Eur J Hum Genet. 2006;14:896–903.PubMedCrossRef
Connor JR, Wang EC, Diamond MC. Increased length of terminal dendritic segments in old adult rats' somatosensory cortex: An environmentally induced response. Exp Neurol. 1982;78:466–70.PubMedCrossRef
Dierssen M, Benavides-Piccione R, Martinez-Cue C, Estivill X, Florez J, Elston GN, et al. Alterations of neocortical pyramidal cell phenotype in the Ts65Dn mouse model of down syndrome: Effects of environmental enrichment. Cereb Cortex. 2003;13:7587–764.CrossRef
Dong WK, Greenough WT. Plasticity of nonneuronal brain tissue: Roles in developmental disorders. Men Retard Dev D R. 2004;10:85–90.CrossRef
Faherty CJ, Kerley D, Smeyne RJ. A golgi-cox morphological analysis of neuronal changes induced by environmental enrichment. Dev Brain Res. 2003;141:55–61.CrossRef
Faherty CJ, Raviie Shepherd K, Herasimtschuk A, Smeyne RJ. Environmental enrichment in adulthood eliminates neuronal death in experimental parkinsonism. Mol Brain Res. 2005;134:170–9.PubMedCrossRef
Fazlioglu Y, Baran G. A sensory integration therapy program on sensory problems for children with autism. Percept Mot Skills. 2008;106:415–22.PubMedCrossRef
Floeter MK, Greenough WT. Cerebellar plasticity: modification of purkinje cell structure by differential rearing in monkeys. Science. 1979;206:227–9.PubMedCrossRef
Folstein SE, Rosen-Sheidley B. Genetics of autism: complex aetiology for a heterogeneous disorder. Nat Rev Genet. 2001;2:943–55.PubMedCrossRef
Foxx RM. Applied behavior analysis treatment in autism: the state of the art. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2008;17:821–34.PubMedCrossRef
French B, Thomas L, Leathley M, Sutton C, McAdam J, Forster A, et al. Does repetitive task training improve functional activity after stroke? A cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis. J Rehabil Med. 2010;42:9–15.PubMedCrossRef
Green VA, Pituch KA, Itchon J, Choi A, O'Reilly M, Sigafoos J. Internet survey of treatments used by parents of children with autism. Res Dev Disabil. 2006;27:70.PubMedCrossRef
Greenough WT, Volkmar FR. Pattern of dendritic branching in occipital cortex of rats reared in complex environments. Exp Neurol. 1973;40:491–504.PubMedCrossRef
Greenough WT, McDonald JW, Parnisari RM, Camel JE. Environmental conditions modulate degeneration and new dendrite growth in cerebellum of senescent rats. Brain Res. 1986;380:136–43.PubMedCrossRef
Hannigan JH, Berman RF, Zajac CS. Environmental enrichment and the behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol in rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1993;15(4):261–6.PubMedCrossRef
Hebb DO. The effects of early experience on problem solving and maturity. Amer Psychol. 1947;2:306.
Herring A, Ambree O, Tomm M, Habermann H, Sachser N, Paulus W, et al. Environmental enrichment enhances cellular plasticity in transgenic mice with Alzheimer-like pathology. Exp Neurol. 2009;216:184–92.PubMedCrossRef
Jirikowic T, Olson HC, Kartin D. Sensory processing, school performance, and adaptive behavior of young school-age children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2008;28(2):117–36.PubMedCrossRef
Kempermann G, Gage FH. Neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. Novartis Found Symp. 2000;231:220–35.PubMedCrossRef
Kleim JA, Jones TA. Principles of experience-dependent neural plasticity: implications for rehabilitation after brain damage. J Speech Lang Hear R. 2008;51:S225–39.CrossRef
Kondo M, Gray LJ, Pelka GJ, Christodoulou J, Tam PPL, Hannan AJ. Environmental enrichment ameliorates a motor coordination deficit in a mouse model of rett syndrome- Mecp2 gene dosage effects and BDNF expression. Eur J Neurosci. 2008;27:3342–50.PubMedCrossRef
Krech D, Rosenzweig MR, Bennett EL. Effects of environmental complexity and training on brain chemistry. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1960;53:509–19.PubMedCrossRef
Lane, S. J., Reynolds, S., & Thacker, L. (2010). Sensory over-responsivity and ADHD: Differentiating using electrodermal responses, cortisol, and anxiety. Front Integr Neurosci.
Laviola G, Rea M, Morley-Fletcher S, Di Carlo S, Bacosi A, De Simone R, et al. Beneficial effects of enriched environment on adolescent rats from stressed pregnancies. Eur J Neurosci. 2004;20:1655–64.PubMedCrossRef
Leggio MG, Mandolesi L, Federico F, Spirito F, Ricci B, Gelfo F, et al. Environmental enrichment promotes improved spatial abilities and enhanced dendritic growth in the rat. Behav Brain Res. 2005;163:78–90.PubMedCrossRef
Lonetti G, Angelucci A, Morando L, Boggio EM, Giustetto M, Pizzorusso T. Early environmental enrichment moderates the behavioral and synaptic phenotype of MeCP2 null mice. Biol Psychiatry. 2010;67:657–65.PubMedCrossRef
Martinez-Cue C, Baamonde C, Lumbreras M, Paz J, Davisson MT, Schmidt C, et al. Differential effects of environmental enrichment on behavior and learning of male and female Ts65Dn mice, a model for Down syndrome. Behav Brain Res. 2002;134:185–200.PubMedCrossRef
Martinez-Cue C, Rueda N, Garcia E, Davisson MT, Schmidt C, Florez J. Behavioral, cognitive and biochemical responses to different environmental conditions in male Ts65Dn mice, a model of Down syndrome. Behav Brain Res. 2005;163:174–85.PubMedCrossRef
Miller LJ, Coll JR, Schoen SA. A randomized controlled pilot study of the effectiveness of occupational therapy for children with sensory modulation disorder. Am J Occup Ther. 2007;61:228–38.PubMedCrossRef
Morley-Fletcher S, Rea M, Maccari S, Laviola G. Environmental enrichment during adolescence reverses the effects of prenatal stress on play behaviour and HPA axis reactivity in rats. Eur J Neurosci. 2003;18:3367–74.PubMedCrossRef
Nag N, Moriuchi JM, Peitzman CGK, Ward BC, Kolodny NH, Berger-Sweeney JE. Environmental enrichment alters locomotor behaviour and ventricular volume in Mecp21lox mice. Behav Brain Res. 2009;196:44–8.PubMedCrossRef
Nithianantharajah J, Hannan AJ. Enriched environments, experience dependent plasticity and disorders of the nervous system. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2006;7:697–709.PubMedCrossRef
Okuda H, Tatsumi K, Makinodan M, Yamauchi T, Wanaka A. Environmental enrichment stimulates progenitor cell proliferation in the amygdala. J Neurosci Res. 2009;87:3546–53.PubMedCrossRef
Pang TY, Stam NC, Nithianantharajah J, Howard ML, Hannan AJ. Differential effects of voluntary physical exercise on behavioral and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression deficits in Huntington's disease transgenic mice. Neuroscience. 2006;141:569–84.PubMedCrossRef
Parham LD, Cohn ES, Spitzer S, Koomar JA, Miller LJ, Burke JP, et al. Fidelity in sensory integration intervention research. Am J Occup Ther. 2007;61:216–27.PubMedCrossRef
Parham, L. D., Smith Roley, S., May-Benson, T. A., Koomar, J., Brett-Green, B., Burke, J. P., et al. (in press). Development of a fidelity measure for research on effectiveness of ayres sensory integration intervention. Am J Occup Ther.
Parks EA, McMechan AP, Hannigan JH, Berman RF. Environmental enrichment alters neurotrophin levels after fetal alcohol exposure in rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008;32(10):1741–1751.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
Percaccio CR, Engineer ND, Pruette AL, Pandya PK, Moucha R, Rathbun DL, et al. Environmental enrichment increases paired-pulse depression in rat auditory cortex. J Neurophysiol. 2005;9:3590–600.CrossRef
Percaccio CR, Pruette AL, Mistry ST, Chen YH, Kilgard MP. Sensory experience determines enrichment-induced plasticity in rat auditory cortex. Brain Res. 2007;1174:76–91.PubMedCrossRef
Pfeiffer B, Kinnealey M, Reed C, Herzberg G. Sensory modulation and affective disorders in children and adolescents with asperger's disorder. Am J Occup Ther. 2005;59:335–45.PubMedCrossRef
Polley DB, Steinberg EE, Merzenich MM. Perceptual learning directs auditory cortical map reorganization through top-down influences. J Neurosci. 2006;26:4970–82.PubMedCrossRef
Powell SB, Newman HA, Pendergast J, Lewis MH. A rodent model of spontaneous stereotypy: Initial characterization of developmental, environmental, and neurobiological factors. Physiol Behav. 1999;66:355–63.PubMedCrossRef
Powell SB, Newman HA, McDonald TA, Bugenhagen P, Lewis MH. Development of spontaneous stereotyped behavior in deer mice: Effects of early and late exposure to a more complex environment. Dev Psychobiol. 2000;37:100–8.PubMedCrossRef
Qian J, Zhou D, Pan F, Liu C, Wang Y. Effect of environmental enrichment on fearful behavior and gastrin-releasing peptide receptor expression in the amygdala of prenatal stressed rats. J Neurosci Res. 2008;86:3011–7.PubMedCrossRef
Renner MJ, Rosenzweig MR. Social interactions among rats housed in grouped and enriched conditions. Dev Psychobiol. 1986;19:303–13.PubMedCrossRef
Restivo L, Ferrari F, Passino E, Sgobio C, Bock J, Oostra BA, et al. Enriched environment promotes behavioral and morphological recovery in a mouse model for the fragile X syndrome. PNAS. 2005;102:11557–62.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
Reynolds S, Lane SJ. Sensory over-responsivity and anxiety in children with ADHD. Am J Occup Ther. 2009;63:443–0.
Rosenzweig MR, Krech D, Bennett EL, Diamond MC. Effects of environmental complexity and training on brain chemistry and anatomy: a replication and extension. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1962;55:429–37.PubMedCrossRef
Santangelo SL, Tsatsanis K. What is known about autism: genes, brain, and behavior. Am J Pharmacogenomic. 2005;5:71.CrossRef
Savioz A, Leuba G, Vallet PG, Walzer C. Contribution of neural networks to alzheimer disease's progression. Brain Res Bull. 2009;80:309–14.PubMedCrossRef
Schaaf RC, Nightlinger KM. Occupational therapy using a sensory integrative approach: a case of effectiveness. Am J Occup Ther. 2007;61:239–46.PubMedCrossRef
Schneider T, Przewlocki R. Behavioral alterations in rats prenatally exposed to valproic acid: animal model of autism. Neuropsychopharmacol. 2005;30:80–9.CrossRef
Schneider T, Turczak J, Przewlocki R. Environmental enrichment reverses behavioral alterations in rats prenatally exposed to valproic acid: issues for a therapeutic approach in autism. Neuropsychopharmacol. 2006;31:36–46.
Schneider ML, Moore CF, Gajewski LL, Larson JA, Roberts AD, Converse AK, et al. Sensory processing disorder in a primate model: Evidence from a longitudinal study of prenatal alcohol and prenatal stress effects. Child Dev. 2008;79:100–13.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
Smith SA, Press B, Koenig KP, Kinnealey M. Effects of sensory integration intervention on self-stimulating and self-injurious behaviors. Am J Occup Ther. 2005;59:418–25.PubMedCrossRef
Stearns NA, Schaevitz LR, Bowling H, Nag N, Berger UV, Berger-Sweeney J. Behavioral and anatomical abnormalities in MECP2 mutant mice: a model for rett syndrome. Neuroscience. 2007;146:907–21.PubMedCrossRef
Tomchek SD, Dunn W. Sensory processing in children with and without autism: a comparative study using the short sensory profile. Am J Occup Ther. 2007;61:190–200.PubMedCrossRef
Turner AM, Greenough WT. Differential rearing effects on rat visual cortex synapses. Brain Res. 1985;329:195–203.PubMedCrossRef
Turner CA, Lewis MH. Environmental enrichment: Effects on stereotyped behavior and neurotrophin levels. Physiol Behav. 2003;80:259–66.PubMedCrossRef
Turner CA, Yang MC, Lewis MH. Environmental enrichment: effects on stereotyped behavior and regional neuronal metabolic activity. Brain Res. 2002;938:15–21.PubMedCrossRef
Turner CA, Lewis MH, King MA. Environmental enrichment: effects on stereotyped behavior and dendritic morphology. Dev Psychobiol. 2003;43:20–7.PubMedCrossRef
Visootsak J, Sherman S. Neuropsychiatric and behavioral aspects of trisomy 21. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2007;9:135–40.PubMedCrossRef
Wainwright PE, Levesque S, Krempulec L, Bulman-Fleming B, McCutcheon D. Effects of environmental enrichment on cortical depth and Morris-maze performance in B6D2F2 mice exposed prenatally to ethanol. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1993;15(1):11–20.PubMedCrossRef
Ward NS. Plasticity and the functional reorganization of the human brain. Int J Psychophys. 2005;58:158–61.CrossRef
Williames LD, Erdie-Lalena CR. Complementary, holistic, and integrative medicine: sensory integration. Pediatr Rev. 2009;30(12):e91–3.PubMedCrossRef
Metadata
Title
Using animal models of enriched environments to inform research on sensory integration intervention for the rehabilitation of neurodevelopmental disorders
Authors
Stacey Reynolds
Shelly J. Lane
Lorie Richards
Publication date
01-09-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders / Issue 3/2010
Print ISSN: 1866-1947
Electronic ISSN: 1866-1955
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11689-010-9053-4

Other articles of this Issue 3/2010

Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 3/2010 Go to the issue

Article

Does bilateral damage to the human amygdala produce autistic symptoms?

Article

Maladaptive behaviors are linked with inefficient sleep in individuals with developmental disabilities

Brief Communication

TPH2 polymorphisms and expression in Prader-Willi syndrome subjects with differing genetic subtypes

Article

Development and validation of the Arizona Cognitive Test Battery for Down syndrome

Article

Cover essay

Article

Hippocampus specific iron deficiency alters competition and cooperation between developing memory systems