The aim of this study was to examine the influence of environmental enrichment and its loss on the development of anhedonia-like behavior in laboratory mice and to identify potential sex differences. The study included 36 mice housed under three different conditions: permanently enriched, standard, and following the loss of previous enrichment. The effects of different housing conditions were monitored by measuring body weight, growth, food and water intake, and sucrose preference. ody weight of the mice increased significantly throughout the experiment. In the last month of the experiment, males housed in enriched environment had significantly lower body weight and lower growth than males housed under standard conditions, accompanied by lower feed consumption. In females, no significant effects of housing conditions on body weight, growth or feed consumption were observed. There were no significant differences between groups and sexes in water intake, but we detected marked individual variability. The sucrose preference test revealed no significant differences between housing groups or either sex. Overall, the effects of housing conditions on body weight, growth and feed intake were more pronounced in males, whereas no evidence of an effect of environmental enrichment or its loss on the development of anhedonia like behavior was detected based on sucrose preference test.
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