-->PONE-D-26-15070-->-->Presence of a home cage running wheel, but not wheel running per se, decreases social motivation in adult C57BL/6J female mice-->-->PLOS One

Dear Dr. Tschida,

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Additional Editor Comments (if provided):

One of the study’s main findings is that the mere presence of a running wheel in the home cage during adolescence, rather than wheel running per se, alters the subjects’ adult social behavior. In addition to the explanations provided by the Reviewers and addressed in the Discussion, another possibility is that the size of the wheel itself affects the mice. Unlike the paper hut, which in itself (with its thin walls and no base) occupies little space in the home cage and may even provide a sheltered area in which mice can huddle together and socialize, the running wheel takes up a substantial portion of the available cage space. This reduced space may limit opportunities for social play and huddling. As Reviewer 1 suggested, the wheel may also act as a stressor or promote competition among cage mates. In this way, mice may grow up during adolescence with fewer opportunities for social interaction. The results of Experiment 3 are consistent with this possibility. An appropriate control condition would be a home cage containing an object other than a running wheel but matched in size, or alternatively a smaller home cage.

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

-->Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)-->

Reviewer #1: The paper by Ziobro et al examined the role of a running wheel in the home cage of adult C57BL/6J female mice on social behavior. There were 3 experiments conducted. In experiment 1, they used same sex female siblings and provided wheel access or paper hut access for 5 weeks during adolescence. In experiment 2, they replicated the results from experiment 1, by splitting the litters. they also replaced the wheel with a hut and vice versa for 2 weeks after the initial 5 weeks. In experiment 3, they split the litter and used an immobile wheel in their experiments.

In all three experiments, their results show that wheel access reduces social behavior and USV in female mice, this is contrary to their hypothesis. Their most interesting finding was that it was not the exercise by running that influenced social behavior and vocalizations, but just the presence of the wheel in the cage.

The paper has a singular focus, examining the role of wheel access on female social behavior. To this end, the experiments are straightforward; the figures are clear and easy to understand. The results are clear and the statistical analysis is appropriate. The authors were careful in their experiments to examine control conditions and examine the effect of cohort on the results.

The results are important for understanding the role of the environment in shaping behavioral responses and the authors provide some explanation of how the physical features of the wheel itself may be shaping behavior.

Minor revision- The paper would benefit from additional primary literature to support claims of increased anxiety and differences in nesting behavior with the presence of a wheel or other forms of environmental enrichment.

Minor revision- While the rationale for using females in the study is stated (lines 63-66), additional context of sex differences in behavior would strengthen the argument for using females.

Minor revision- Suggestion for clarity, to be consistent with the descriptions of the experiments in the rest of the paper. Add the phrase “experiment 3” to the text (line 81).

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Reviewer #1: No

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Presence of a home cage running wheel, but not wheel running per se, decreases social motivation in adult C57BL/6J female mice

PONE-D-26-15070R1

Dear Dr. Tschida,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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Kind regards,

Alexandra Kavushansky, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS One

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

-->Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.-->

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

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-->2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)-->

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

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-->7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review?  For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.-->

Reviewer #1: No

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