Antonia Vitalo, Jonathan Fricchione, Monica Casali, Yevgeny Berdichevsky, Elizabeth A. Hoge, Scott L. Rauch, Francois Berthiaume, Martin L. Yarmush, Herbert Benson, Gregory L. Fricchione, John B. Levine

Environmental enrichment (EE) fosters attachment behavior through its effect on brain oxytocin levels in the hippocampus and other brain regions, which in turn modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA). Social isolation and other stressors negatively impact physical healing through their effect on the HPA. Therefore, we reasoned that: 1) provision of a rat EE (nest building with Nestlets) would improve wound healing in rats undergoing stress due to isolation rearing and 2) that oxytocin would have a similar beneficial effect on wound healing.