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Published on: June 5, 2019
Cognitive performance of low- and normal-birth-weight piglets in a spatial hole-board discrimination task
Elise T Gieling1, Soon Y Park, Rebecca E Nordquist
1Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht, The Netherlands. E.T.Gieling@UU.NL
Insights
Low birth weight (LBW) in piglets is linked to mild cognitive impairments, specifically in learning reversal tasks. This study suggests piglets may serve as a valuable model for understanding LBW-related cognitive deficits.
Area of Science:
- Comparative cognition
- Developmental neuroscience
- Animal models
Background:
- Learning impairments are frequently observed in children with low birth weight (LBW).
- A translational model is needed to investigate the long-term cognitive effects of LBW in humans.
- Piglets share developmental similarities with human infants and LBW piglets are prevalent, making them a potential natural model.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the suitability of LBW piglets as a model for studying cognitive impairments associated with LBW.
- To investigate the relationship between low birth weight and cognitive function in piglets.
Main Methods:
- Pairs of low birth weight (LBW) and normal birth weight (NBW) piglets were tested.
- A spatial hole-board task (4x4 matrix) was employed, involving one acquisition and two reversal phases.
- Individual configurations of rewarded holes were used for each piglet.
Main Results:
- Both LBW and NBW piglets successfully learned the spatial configurations and reduced incorrect visits.
- LBW piglets exhibited a transiently delayed acquisition during the first reversal phase.
- The findings suggest a link between LBW and mild cognitive impairments.
Conclusions:
- The study supports the hypothesis that LBW is associated with mild subsequent cognitive impairments.
- Piglets demonstrate potential as a model for future research on LBW-related cognitive deficits.
- This model may be useful for testing potential therapeutic interventions for cognitive impairments.
Introduction:
Learning impairments are often seen in children born with low birth weight (LBW). A model with translational value for long-term effects of LBW in humans is needed to further our understanding of how LBW and cognition are related. The similarities between development stages in human infants and piglets, and the high prevalence of LBW piglets make them a naturally occurring potential model in which to study cognitive impairment associated with LBW in humans.
Results:
Although both groups learned the configurations and rapidly reduced the number of incorrect visits, the LBW piglets showed a transiently retarded acquisition of the first reversal.
Discussion:
The results of the experiment support the hypothesis that LBW is related to (mild) subsequent cognitive impairments. In the future, piglets may be suitable models for testing the effects of putative therapeutics.
Methods:
To examine this potential model, we tested pairs of LBW and NBW (normal-birth-weight) piglets in a spatial hole-board (a matrix with 4 × 4 holes in the floor) task during one acquisition and two reversal phases in their own individual configurations of rewarded holes.
