Laboratory rats have been widely used to study the development and neural underpinnings of play behavior. However, it is not known whether domestic rats play
Recent studies have shown that contrary to expectation, larger-brained species within mammalian orders are not more likely to engage in play. This is true for
play fighting in many animals consists of a complex choreography of somewhat stereotypical behaviors involving attack and defenseótypically of particular body areasóthat are differentially generated
The cortex is not necessary for rats to engage in play fighting, but it is necessary for them to modify their pattern of play fighting
Many types of animal behaviour, especially seemingly complex social interactions, have been attributed to the existence of complex cognitive mechanisms. Indeed, as specific behaviours are
With the onset of puberty, play fighting in rats decreases in frequency and the tactics of attack and defense that are used are rougher. Previous
The frequency of playful attack and the style of playful defense, are modifiable by gonadal steroids and change after puberty in male and female rats.
play fighting in juvenile rats is associated with a high occurrence of 50 kHz vocalizations. These calls are varied in form, ranging from long, flat
play fighting in rats involves attack and defense of the nape. To protect the nape, rats use a variety of defensive tactics, with different strains
Rat ultrasonic vocalizations have been suggested to be either a byproduct of physical movement or, in the case of 50-kHz calls, a means to communicate
During playful interactions, juvenile rats emit many 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations, which are associated with a positive affective state. In addition, these calls may also serve
Alterations in social behavior are among the major negative consequences observed in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). Several independent laboratories have demonstrated robust
play fighting is the most commonly occurring form of social play in juvenile mammals. Typically, males engage in more play righting than females, and this
play fighting in the rat involves attack and defense of the nape of the neck, which if contacted, is gently nuzzled with the snout. Because
During playful interactions, rats emit increased levels of 50-kHz vocalizations. It is possible that these vocalizations are used as play signals that promote and maintain
Robbing and dodging is a well-documented food protective behaviour in rats. Recently, we demonstrated that a simple cybernetic rule, gaining and maintaining a preferred interanimal
During play fighting, rats attack and defend the nape and during the course of this competitive interaction, they may adopt a configuration in which one
In a series of 3 experiments on rats, 2 hypotheses were tested: (a) that damage to the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) would alter the socially
Analysis of the body targets attacked and defended during play? fighting by juvenile Djungarian hamsters Phodopus campbelli revealed that about 70% of all attacks were
The dynamic aspect of behavior is exaggerated during social interactions such as sex, combat and rough-and-tumble play where the movements of the two animals involved
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