Lett, G. S., Patterson-Kane, E. G. 2010. Environmental enrichment fights cancer and improves research results - What now for the biomedical researcher? Enrichment Record 5, 4-6.

The article, “Environmental and Genetic Activation of a Brain-Adipocyte BDNF/Leptin Axis Causes Cancer Remission and Inhibition,” was first published in Cell on July 8, and quickly echoed by online editions of major journals including The Scientist, Scientific American, Nature and ScienceDirect. This landmark study suggests that the adoption of enriched housing, as a new standard, will be needed to develop fully valid disease models for conditions that afflict otherwise normal humans. Enrichment advocates need to understand that establishing a new baseline for these studies and adjusting the associated models will be an arduous task, but a necessary one. Make no mistake, moving to enriched housing will be difficult for researchers with years or decades of data that will be thrown into doubt and confusion by making this change. But it is becoming even more clear that this change is needed, for reasons of animal welfare and scientific validity.