Effects of environmental enrichment on thermal sensitivity in an operant orofacial pain assay.

Environmental enrichment reduces reactivity to stressor and could also modulate pain perception. In this study we sought to compare the effects of enriched and standard housing on temperature perception. In an operant assay, rats housed in an enriched environment exhibited significantly lower sensitivities to thermal stimuli and displayed less exploratory behavior in a rearing chamber. These findings indicate that environmental enrichment can significantly affect temperature perception, likely through stress-related mechanisms.