This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The USDA Draft Policy on Environmental Enhancement for Nonhuman Primates has been developed to provide more specific guidelines as to what measures sufficiently address the psychological needs of captive primates, but research is needed to guide its implementation. This project will provide direct benefit to the primate well-being and management of the Tulane National Primate Research Center colony. Rhesus macaques are being studied due to their widespread use in biomedicine and the need for enhanced management of monkeys with the backgrounds and research settings to be explored in this project. Focus is placed on social grouping and human interaction as enrichment. Using behavioral, physiological, and clinical data, we are 1) comparing the effects of continuous full contact, continuous protected contact, and intermittent full contact for pair-housing rhesus macaques, and 2) comparing the effects of several quantities and forms of human/primate interaction on the behavioral well-being of singly-housed individuals of both sexes. Subjects are drawn from the following populations: those mother-reared in a social setting, those mother-reared without other social partners, nursery-reared individuals, and subjects used in research that includes frequent invasive access. Preliminary analyses have found that 1) Both continous and intermittent full contact pair housing confer similar behavioral benefits, most of which were not observed in protected contact, and 2) 20 min./wk. of positive reinforcement training among subject reared by their mothers in a social group resulted in negative behavioral changes. No behavioral changes were detected among subjects with a variety of abnormal rearing backgrounds, nor the other treatment phases (6 min/wk unstructured interaction and 6 min/wk of training). This project aims to provide the scientific underpinning for decisions relating to the changing regulatory climate governing the behavioral management on non-human primates.
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