Assistant Professor
Animal Behavior and Well-Being
Research Interests
The overall goal of Dr. Garner's research is to integrate non-invasive
methods more typically used in human health and psychiatry (e.g. epidemiology,
neuropsychology) with traditional methods in ethology (animal behavior) and
experimental psychology, in order to provide novel solutions to existing
problems in animal behavior and welfare, animal behavior and production, and
behavioral animal models. Work in the lab is currently directed at four areas:
Housing and husbandry systems' effects on behavior and well-being issues
in mice.
Mice in typical laboratory conditions may be chronically cold stressed, which
in turn can affect every aspect of their biology. Work in Dr. Garner's lab has
shown that mice prefer far warmer cage temperatures than those in typical
housing conditions; and that mice will build complex nests when provided with
suitable materials. Current work is examining the relationships between ambient
temperature, nesting behavior, thermal properties of the nest, thermoregulation,
and ultimately whether nesting material allows mice to alleviate cold stress,
and whether doing so benefits science and mouse well-being. Dr. Garner won a
major
international award to continue this work. Animal models of human disorders with complex developmental etiologies.
Spontaneously occurring abnormal behaviors in animals can provide powerful
animal models, because in contrast to traditional 'induced' models they allow us
to investigate complex interactions between genetic, genomic, and environmental
factors during development. Dr. Garner's lab has validated whisker-and-fur
plucking in mice ('barbering') as a model of
trichotillomania (human compulsive
hair pulling, which affects 3-4% of women). Current projects are exploring basic
physiological mechanisms regulating the onset and performance of this behavior,
particularly its connection to reproductive physiology. The lab is also
developing excoriative scratching (ulcerative dermatitis) in mice as a model of
skin-picking in humans (which affects approximately 5% of the population).
Refinement of behavioral methods in mouse neuroscience and well-being
issues associated with current methods.
Current mouse behavioral methods generally do not allow us to assess the
complex neuropsychological processes specific to human disorders. Dr. Garner has
developed a number of mouse behavioral paradigms directly equivalent to human
cognitive and psychiatric measures. For instance, Dr. Garner was the first to
demonstrate 'set shifting' in mice, which is one of the most important
neuropsychological measures in human psychiatry. In conjunction with industry,
he is developing technologies for implementing a new generation of refined mouse
behavioral measures. Housing and husbandry systems' effects on behavior and well-being issues
in poultry.
In this area, the lab has focused on the impact of specific aspects of cage
design on laying hen behavior, physiology, production, and well-being. A
nation-wide epidemiology study has identified features in cage design that
impact industry economics and hen well-being, many of which were previously
unknown.
Due to our focus on technique, members of the lab have worked with a wide
variety of animal species – including conventional laboratory species (e.g.
rabbits, mice, and guinea pigs); farm animals, including pigs, and especially
poultry (e.g. broilers, layers, quail, ducks and turkeys); and exotic or wild
species (e.g. marine mammals, song birds, exotic rodents).
Lab philosophy and culture
The lab emphasizes scientific philosophy; intellectual synthesis;
interdisciplinary and collaborative research; the logical, empirical and
statistical dissection of research questions; ethics and integrity; and the
pursuit of questions with ethical and societal need and impact.
Members of the lab are encouraged to pursue their interests; to engage in the
joy and excitement of discovery; and to foster these values in an open,
collaborative and diverse environment. As such the lab is actively involved in
providing research opportunities to undergraduate students, and especially to
minority or underrepresented students through Purdue's MARC/AIM program, and
Purdue's SACNAS chapter. Service to peers, the academic community, and
stakeholders (such as producers, or patient groups) is highly valued.
Links
Trichotillomania Learning Center:
www.trich.org
Universities Federation for Animal Welfare:
www.ufaw.org.uk
International Society for Applied ethology:
www.applied-ethology.org
Purdue's MARC/AIM program:
www.gradschool.purdue.edu/diversity/srop-marcaim.cfm
Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science:
www.sacnas.org
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