Research
Garet Lahvis began research as a student of wildlife behavior. In his first experiment, he assessed the flight responses of white-tailed deer from an artificial coyote he built from used car parts, his question whether they made conscious decisions about when to flee or stay put. He later studied bottlenose dolphins, his question whether the pollutants they accumulated left them vulnerable to lethal infections.
His most influential work followed. Seeking to understand the genetic and environmental contributions to autism, Lahvis turned to study the social emotions of laboratory mice. His laboratory discovered that mice can enjoy the company of other mice – a feeling known as social reward – and empathy for their fear.
These findings revealed unsettling questions. If mice can have feelings about their social environments, how do they experience captivity? How do their cage environments shape our scientific understanding of their biology and psychology – and thus our own? And why, despite generations of individual scientists raising similar concerns, where these questions almost entirely overlooked?
Lahvis has authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers. To browse specific areas of his research, click on the topic buttons below. Selected papers are listed first.
Research
Selected • Ethics • Cages • Empathy • Social Reward • Sociability
Vocalizations • Autism • Environment • Development • Imaging • In vitro
Selected
Unbridle Biomedical Research from the Laboratory Cage
Lahvis, G.P.
eLife (2017)
Social Reward Among Juvenile Mice
Panksepp, J.B. & Lahvis, G.P.Genes,
Brain and Behavior (2007)
Empathy Is Moderated by Genetic Background in Mice
Chen, Q., Panksepp, J.B., & Lahvis, G.P.
PLoS ONE (2009)
Link
Social Conditioned Place Preference in the Captive Ground Squirrel
Lahvis, G.P., Panksepp, J.B., Kennedy, B.C., Wilson, C.R., & Merriman, D.K.
Journal of Comparative Psychology (2015)
Differential influence of social versus isolate housing on vicarious fear learning in adolescent mice
Panksepp, J.B. & Lahvis, G.P.
Behavioral Neuroscience (2016)
Social Reward and Empathy as Proximal Contributions to Altruism: The Camaraderie Effect
Lahvis, G.P.
Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience (2017)
Rodent Empathy and Affective Neuroscience
Panksepp, J.B. & Lahvis, G.P.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2011)
Affiliative Behavior, Ultrasonic Communication and Social Reward Are Influenced by Genetic Variation in Adolescent Mice
Panksepp J.B., Jochman, K., Kim, J.U., Koy, J.J., Wilson, E.D., Chen, Q., Wilson, C.R. and Lahvis, G.P.
PLoS ONE (2007)
Link
Social Rhythms Are Moderated by Genetic Factors in Adolescent Mice
Panksepp, J.B., Wong, J.C., Kennedy, B.C., and Lahvis, G.P.
Behavioral Brain Research (2008)
The Autism Diagnosis in Translation: Shared Affect in Children and Mouse Models
Bishop, S.L. & Lahvis, G.P.
Autism Research (2011)
Decreased Lymphocyte Responses on Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Are Associated with Increased Concentrations of PCBs and DDT in Peripheral Blood
Lahvis, G.P., Wells, R.S., Kuehl, D.W., Stewart, J.L., Rhinehart, H.L., & Via, C.S.
Environmental Health Perspectives (1995)
Portosystemic Shunting and Persistent Fetal Vascular Structures in Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Deficient Mice
Lahvis, G.P., Lindell, S.L., Thomas, R.S., McCuskey, R.S., Murphy, C., Glover, E., Bentz, M., Southard, J., & Bradfield, C.A.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (2000)
The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Is Required for Developmental Closure of the Ductus Venosus in the Neonatal Mouse
Lahvis, G.P., Pyzaski, R.W., Glover, E., McElwee, M.K., Pitot, H.C., & Bradfield, C.A.
Molecular Pharmacology (2005)
AHR Null Alleles: Distinctive or Different?
Lahvis, G.P. & Bradfield, C.A.
Biochemical Pharmacology (1998)
Link
Ethics
Acknowledging Cage-Imposed Distortions in the Psychology and Biology of Lab Animals
Lahvis, G.P. & Pendleton, J.P.
Hastings Center Report (in press)
Human-Nonhuman Interactions in the Animal Laboratory
Lesley, S., Lahvis, G., Robinson-Junker, A., & Carbone, L.
The Routledge International Handbook of Human-Animal Interactions and Anthrozoology (2023)
Cages
Unbridle Biomedical Research from the Laboratory Cage
Lahvis, G.P.
eLife (2017)
Make Animal Models More Meaningful
Lahvis, G.P.
Nature (2017)
Rodent Models of Autism, Epigenetics, and the Inescapable Problem of Animal Constraint
Lahvis, G.P.
Animal Models of Behavior Genetics (2016)
Divergent Neural and Endocrine Responses in Wild-Caught and Laboratory-Bred Rattus norvegicus
Jacob, J., Watanabe, S., Richardson, J., Gonzales, N., Ploppert, E., Lahvis, G.P., et al.
Behavioural Brain Research (2022)
Empathy
Empathy Is Moderated by Genetic Background in Mice
Chen, Q., Panksepp, J.B., & Lahvis, G.P.
PLoS ONE (2009)
Differential influence of social versus isolate housing on vicarious fear learning in adolescent mice
Panksepp, J.B. & Lahvis, G.P.
Behavioral Neuroscience (2016)
Social Reward and Empathy as Proximal Contributions to Altruism: The Camaraderie Effect
Lahvis, G.P.
Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience (2017)
Rodent Empathy and Affective Neuroscience
Panksepp, J.B. & Lahvis, G.P.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2011)
Sociability versus Empathy in Adolescent Mice: Different or Distinctive?
Panksepp, J.B. & Lahvis, G.P.
Learning and Motivation (2023)
Challenging Convention in Empathy Research: Developing a Mouse Model and Initial Neural Analyses
Panksepp, J.B. & Lahvis, G.P.
Neuronal Correlates of Empathy (2018)
Empathy
Lahvis, G.P.
Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior (2018)
Social Reward
Social Reward Among Juvenile Mice
Panksepp, J.B. & Lahvis, G.P.
Genes, Brain and Behavior (2007).
Link
Social Conditioned Place Preference in the Captive Ground Squirrel
Lahvis, G.P., Panksepp, J.B., Kennedy, B.C., Wilson, C.R., & Merriman, D.K.
Journal of Comparative Psychology (2015)
Social Influences on Morphine Conditioned Place Preference in Adolescent Mice
Kennedy, B.C., Panksepp, J.B., Runckel, P.A., & Lahvis, G.P.
Psychopharmacology (2012)
Sociability
Social Rhythms Are Moderated by Genetic Factors in Adolescent Mice
Panksepp, J.B., Wong, J.C., Kennedy, B.C., and Lahvis, G.P.
Behavioral Brain Research (2008)
Link
Age-Dependent and Strain-Dependent Influences of Morphine on Mouse Social Investigation Behavior
Kennedy, B.C., Panksepp, J.B., Wong, J.C., Krause, E.J., & Lahvis, G.P.
Behavioural Pharmacology (2011)
Effects of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure on Social Development in Mice
Kabir, Z.D., Kennedy, B.C., Katzman, A., Lahvis, G.P., & Kosofsky, B.E.
Developmental Neuroscience (2014)
Vocalizations
Affiliative Behavior, Ultrasonic Communication and Social Reward Are Influenced by Genetic Variation in Adolescent Mice
Panksepp J.B., Jochman, K., Kim, J.U., Koy, J.J., Wilson, E.D., Chen, Q., Wilson, C.R. and Lahvis, G.P.
PLoS ONE (2007)
Link
Translating Mouse Vocalizations: Prosody and Frequency Modulation
Lahvis, G.P., Alleva, E., & Scattoni, M.L.
Genes, Brain and Behavior (2011)
Autism
The Autism Diagnosis in Translation: Shared Affect in Children and Mouse Models
Bishop, S.L. & Lahvis, G.P.
Autism Research (2011)
The Cyclic AMP Phenotype of Fragile X and Autism
Kelley, D.J., Bhattacharyya, A., Lahvis, G.P., Yin, J.C.P., Malter, J., & Davidson, R.J.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2008)
The Cyclic AMP Cascade Is Altered in the Fragile X Nervous System
Kelley, D.J., Davidson, R.J., Elliott, J.L., Lahvis, G.P., Yin, J.C.P., & Bhattacharyya, A.
PLoS ONE (2007)
Integration of Human Eye-Tracking Responses and Object Recognition Test Performance
Raber, J., Balba, N.M., & Lahvis, G.P.
Handbook of Behavioral Neuroscience (2018)
Prenatal Domoic Acid Exposure Disrupts Mouse Pro-Social Behavior and Functional Connectivity MRI
Mills, B.D., Pearce, H.L., Khan, O., Jarrett, B.R., Fair, D.A., & Lahvis, G.P.
Behavioural Brain Research (2016)
Fetal Domoic Acid Exposure Affects Lateral Amygdala Neurons, Diminishes Social Investigation and Alters Sensory-Motor Gating
Zuoloaga, D., Lahvis, G.P., Mills, B., Pearce, H., Turner, J., & Raber, J.
Neurotoxicology (2016)
Animation-based Autism Spectrum Disorder Assessment
U.S. Patent Application 15/510,657, (filed July 6, 2017).
Environment
Decreased Lymphocyte Responses on Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Are Associated with Increased Concentrations of PCBs and DDT in Peripheral Blood
Lahvis, G.P., Wells, R.S., Kuehl, D.W., Stewart, J.L., Rhinehart, H.L., & Via, C.S.
Environmental Health Perspectives (1995)
In-Vitro Lymphocyte Responses of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Mitogen-Induced Proliferation
Lahvis, G.P., Wells, R.S., Casper, D., & Via, C.S.
Marine Environmental Research (1993)
Research Perspectives for Dolphin Mortalities in North America
Bossart, G., Busbee, D., Lahvis, G.P., & Worthy, G.A.J.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration & U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1993)
PFOS and PFOSA in Bottlenose Dolphins: An Investigation into Two Unusually High Mortality Epizootics
Kuehl, D., Haebler, R., Potter, C., Lahvis, G., Donahue, M., & Regal, R.
Reproductive Toxicology (2009)
Statement from the Work Session on Environmentally Induced Alterations in Development: A Focus on Wildlife
Bantle, J., Bowerman, W., Carey, C., Colborn, T., De Guise, S., Dodson, S., Facemire, C., Fox, G., Fry, M.M., Gilbertson, M., Grasman, K., Gross, T., Guillette, L., Henny, C., Henshel, D., Hose, J., Klein, P., Kubiak, T., & Lahvis, G.P.
Environmental Health Perspectives (1995)
Immunological Biomarkers to Assess Environmental Stress
Weeks, B.A., Anderson, D.P., DuFour, A.P., Fairbrother, A., Goven, A.J., Lahvis, G.P., & Peters, G.
In Biomarkers: Biochemical, Physiological, and Histological Markers of Anthropogenic Stress (1992)
Social Interactions of Stranded and Recovering Immature California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus)
Meyer, M., Rickert, S., Pearce, H., Khan, O., van Bonn, W., Johnson, S., & Lahvis, G.P.
Aquatic Mammals (2017)
What California Sea Lions Exposed to Domoic Acid Might Teach Us About Autism: Lessons for Predictive and Preventive Medicine
Lahvis, G.P.
EPMA Journal (2017)
Diagnosing Domoic Acid Toxicosis in the California Sea Lion Using Behavioral Criteria: A Novel Approach
Wittmaack, C., Lahvis, G.P., Keith, E.O., & Self-Sullivan, C.
Zoo Biology (2015)
Five Years On: Current Practices in a Captive Breeding Colony of 13-Lined Ground Squirrels
Merriman, D.K., Lahvis, G., Jooss, M., Gesicki, J.A., & Schill, K.
Lab Animal (2012)
Contaminant Trends in Fall Run Coho Salmon
Devault, D.S., Clark, J.M., & Lahvis, G.
Journal of Great Lakes Research (1988)
Development
Portosystemic Shunting and Persistent Fetal Vascular Structures in Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Deficient Mice
Lahvis, G.P., Lindell, S.L., Thomas, R.S., McCuskey, R.S., Murphy, C., Glover, E., Bentz, M., Southard, J., & Bradfield, C.A.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (2000)
The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Is Required for Developmental Closure of the Ductus Venosus in the Neonatal Mouse
Lahvis, G.P., Pyzaski, R.W., Glover, E., McElwee, M.K., Pitot, H.C., & Bradfield, C.A.
Molecular Pharmacology (2005)
AHR Null Alleles: Distinctive or Different?
Lahvis, G.P. & Bradfield, C.A.
Biochemical Pharmacology (1998)
Abnormal Liver Development and Resistance to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin Toxicity in Mice Carrying a Mutation in the DNA Binding Domain of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor
Bunger, M.K., Glover, E., Moran, S.M., Walisser, J.A., Lahvis, G.P., Hsu, E.L., & Bradfield, C.A.
Toxicological Sciences (2008)
Resistance to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin Toxicity and Abnormal Liver Development in Mice Carrying a Mutation in the Nuclear Localization Sequence of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor
Bunger, M.K., Moran, S.M., Glover, E., Thomae, T.L., Lahvis, G.P., Lin, B.C., & Bradfield, C.A.
Journal of Biological Chemistry (2003)
Imaging
Capillary Histology Imagery Visualization and Exploration
Gleicher, M., Brunet, T., Nowak, E., Osten, L., McElwee, M., Tanty, K., Gepner, A., & Lahvis, G.
IEEE Visualization (2004)
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction from Serial Sections in PC-Windows Platform by Using 3D_Viewer
Xu, Y.H., Lahvis, G., Edwards, H., & Pitot, H.C.
Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine (2004)
In vitro
Induction of Germinal Center B Cell Markers In Vitro by Activated CD4+ T Lymphocytes: The Role of CD40L, Soluble Factors, and B Cell Antigen Receptor Crosslinking
Lahvis, G.P. & Cerny, J.
Journal of Immunology (1997)
In Vitro Adipogenic Differentiation of Preadipocytes Varies with Differentiation Stimulus, Culture Dimensionality, and Scaffold Composition
Stacey, D.H., Hanson, S.E., Lahvis, G., Gutowski, K.A., & Masters, K.S.
Tissue Engineering Part A (2009)
Optimization of the 3D Culture Environment to Promote Adipogenic Differentiation of Human Preadipocytes In Vivo
Stacey, D., Lahvis, G.P., Gutowski, K., & Masters, K.S.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2009)
PDF | Publisher Link
An Experimental Model for Improving Fat Graft Viability and Purity
Piasecki, J.H., Gutowski, K.A., Lahvis, G.P., & Moreno, K.I.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2007)
Purified Viable Fat Suspended in Matrigel Improves Volume Longevity
Piasecki, J.H., Gutowski, K.A., Moreno, K.I., & Lahvis, G.P.
Aesthetic Surgery Journal (2008)