# Cornell study: a week in outdoor enclosures lowers anxiety measures in lab mice in maze test

- Published: 2026-11-10 20:30 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biology & biochemistry
- Tags: laboratory mice, anxiety in mice, elevated plus maze, semi-natural enclosure, Cornell University study, C57BL/6, animal models, behavioral reset, biomedical research
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-984bc140b5a59c20094e1965_cornell_study_a/

**Cornell researchers kept lab mice for a week in semi-natural outdoor enclosures. The authors report in Current Biology that anxiety-related behavior in the elevated plus maze dropped.**

![Cornell study: a week in outdoor enclosures lowers anxiety measures in lab mice in maze test](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/111409fbd4b1f54c.webp)
*science-et-vie.com*

Researchers at Cornell University report that laboratory mice placed for one week in large semi-natural outdoor enclosures showed markedly lower anxiety-related behavior in a standard maze test. The study was published in Current Biology and covered by science-et-vie.com [1]. The animals came from standardized strains, notably C57BL/6 [1].

Standard laboratory cages are sterile and uniform, with limited space, no natural light and little sound or sensory variety [1]. The enclosures in the study had loose soil, vegetation, climate variation, natural light and spontaneous social interaction. The authors describe the setup as an enriched experimental environment, not a return to life in the wild [1].

## Elevated plus maze results

The test is an elevated cross-shaped maze with two open arms without walls and two closed arms. Mice that spend more time in the closed arms are conventionally judged to be more anxious [1]. The researchers compared mice kept only in cages with mice that spent a week in the enclosure. Before exposure, all mice showed the expected anxious responses: a strong preference for closed arms and frequent immobility [1].

After a week outdoors, the mice explored the open arms more, spent more time in exposed positions and showed less avoidance. An automated tracking system recorded the observations [1]. Matthew Zipple noted that the change occurred both in mice never tested before and in mice that had already developed a marked anxious response in an earlier maze trial. The authors call this a "behavioral reset" [1]. Mice outdoors also showed more motor activity and exploration and less immobility [1].

## Implications for animal models

Mice account for about 75% of animals used in biomedical research worldwide [1]. The study indicates that a parameter treated as fixed, anxiety, depends strongly on living conditions. This bears on the comparability of results between laboratories, or within one protocol if environments differ [1].

Coauthor Michael Sheehan said that the social and sensory environment in which an animal lives changes how it interprets threats and makes behavioral decisions [1]. According to the article, the work revives the debate on housing conditions for laboratory animals and on how far results obtained in mice can be extrapolated to human conditions [1].

## Sources

1. [science-et-vie.com](https://www.science-et-vie.com/nature-et-environnement/animaux/des-souris-relachees-dans-la-nature-revelent-les-failles-de-la-recherche-en-laboratoire-225009.html)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-984bc140b5a59c20094e1965_cornell_study_a/