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US researchers teach rats to drive
The research team fashioned a tiny car out of a clear plastic food container.

Finding may inform future mental health treatments 

Researchers at the University of Richmond, Virginia, have taught rats how to drive little plastic cars.


In the study, published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research, rats were trained to drive in rectangular arenas. The rats who passed their test were rewarded with small pieces of cereal.


Researchers say their finding reveals rats’ brains are more flexible than previously thought, and could further inform scientists about treatment for mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety.

Kelly Lambert, a professor of behavioural neuroscience at the University of Richmond, said: “We already knew that rodents could recognize objects, press bars, and find their way around mazes, but we wondered if rats could learn the more complex task of operating a moving vehicle.

“They learned to navigate the car in unique ways and engaged in steering patterns they had never used to eventually arrive at the reward.”

In the study, researchers fashioned a tiny car out of a clear plastic food container. The ‘car’ also had an aluminium floor and three copper bars for a steering wheel.

Researchers found that rats that took part in the study were more relaxed than they were before training. They assessed this by measuring the levels of two stress hormones in their blood - corticosterone, a marker of stress, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which counteracts stress.

The researchers noted the ratio of DHEA to corticosterone in the rats’ droppings increased throughout their training. Interestingly, the rats had even higher DHEA levels (healthy hormone change) than in a previous study, in which they were driven around as passengers in a remote-controlled car.


“We concluded that the rats that actually learned to drive had a greater sense of control over their environment that was accompanied by increased DHEA — something like a rodent version of what we refer to as self-efficacy or agency in humans," said Lambert.


The researchers also found that rats housed in enriched environments learned the driving task, but rats housed in standard laboratory cages experienced problems with the task (i.e. they failed their 'driving test'.

"That means the complex living environment led to more behavioural flexibility and neuroplasticity," Lambert said. “This reminds us that our brains are constantly changing in response to our environments — and that we’re accountable for maintaining our brains moment-to-moment."

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."