Connection between learning a new skill and reduced stress is revealed

What could rats driving tiny cars teach us about alternative mental illness treatments?

It may seem like a far-out link, but US researchers at the University of Richmond have had promising results from a recent study that put rats behind the wheel. Dr Kelly Lambert revealed that a group of 17 rats were taught how to drive tiny plastic cars, in exchange for pieces of cereal, with the results going on to indicate that the rats felt more relaxed while completing the task. The study looked at a mixture of lab-raised rats and those that lived in a more natural habitat, or an ‘enriched environment’. Rats raised in these more natural environments proved to be significantly better drivers. Following the trials, researchers examined the rat’s feces to test stress hormone levels, as well as to check for the anti-stress hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone. All test subjects were shown to have higher levels of the anti-stress hormone, which researchers believe may be linked to the satisfaction of learning a new skill, leading them to suggest that this could be a step towards helping develop nonpharmaceutical treatments for mental illness. While Dr Lambert points out that more research needs to be done to explore the effect in different animals, this discovery could make waves in mental health treatment, and we’re along for the ride!