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The effect of rearing environment upon behaviour and the rate of 5-HT synthesis and hypothalamic 5-HT levels in pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

M.S. Burrows ,
B.W. Moss  and
V.E. Beattie
M.S. Burrows
Affiliation:
The Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR, U.K
B.W. Moss
Affiliation:
Department of Food Science, The Queen’s University of Belfast, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, U.K.
V.E. Beattie
Affiliation:
The Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR, U.K
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Extract

Enriching the environment of young pigs reduces aggressive behaviour and increases exploratory behaviour. This difference in behaviour is maintained throughout life, even in the absence of enriching stimuli (Beattie et al., 1995). Although the exact neurochemical and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying aggression are not well understood there is evidence which indicates that low brain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) may be involved in the etiology of aggression (Burrows, 1999). This study examined the possibility that behavioural changes induced by environmental enrichment may be associated with subtle alterations in brain 5-HT chemistry.

Type
Poster Session I
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2001 , 2001 , pp. PC6
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2001

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References

Beattie, V.E., Walker, N. and Sneddon, I.A. 1995. Effect of rearing environment and change of environment on the behaviour of gilts. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 46: 57–65.Google Scholar
Burrows, M.S. 1999. The role of tryptophan and 5-Hydroxytryptamine metabolism in the control of behaviour and meat quality in pigs. PhD Thesis, The Queens University of Belfast.Google Scholar
O’Connell, N.E. and Beattie, V.E. 1999. Influence of environmental enrichment on aggressive behaviour and dominance relationships in growing pigs. Animal Welfare 8: 269–279.Google Scholar