Do rats like to be tickled?

Not all rats like to be tickled but by listening to their vocalisations it is possible to understand in real-time their individual emotional response, according to new research by the University of Bristol. The study, published today [21 September] in Current Biology, suggests that if this same relationship is observed for other situations, then it may be possible to use call patterns in rats to measure their emotional response and understand how best to improve their welfare.
Source: University of Bristol news - Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: International, Research; Faculty of Life Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience; Press Release Source Type: news