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Convection Enhanced Delivery of Optogenetic Adeno-associated Viral Vector to the Cortex of Rhesus Macaque Under Guidance of Online MRI Images

Convection Enhanced Delivery of Optogenetic Adeno-associated Viral Vector to the Cortex of Rhesus Macaque Under Guidance of Online MRI Images

Published on: May 23, 2019

Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) map number onto space.

Caroline B Drucker¹, Elizabeth M Brannon²

¹Department of Neurobiology and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Box 90999, Durham, NC 27708, United States.

|April 26, 2014

Summary

Rhesus macaques demonstrate a number-space mapping, selecting the fourth position regardless of array changes. This suggests the human association between number and space has deep evolutionary roots, not just cultural origins.

Keywords:

Monkeys Numbers Ordinal representation SNARC effect Space

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Comparative Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Humans exhibit a robust association between numerical magnitude and spatial representation.
The extent to which this number-space mapping is innate versus culturally acquired remains an open question.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the presence of a number-space mapping in a non-human primate species.
To explore the evolutionary origins of the association between number and spatial cognition.

Main Methods:

Four adult male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were trained to identify the fourth position in a vertical array of five elements.
Performance was tested across variations in array appearance, location, and spacing.
A horizontal probe task assessed spatially-oriented number mapping by rotating the array 90 degrees.

Main Results:

Rhesus macaques consistently selected the fourth position, demonstrating robust number-space mapping.
This preference persisted despite changes in visual parameters and array configuration.
In horizontal trials, monkeys preferentially chose the fourth position from the left, indicating a directional bias.

Conclusions:

Rhesus macaques exhibit a number-space mapping, providing the first evidence in non-human primates.
These findings suggest that the number-space association in humans is not solely a product of cultural learning.
The results point towards deep evolutionary underpinnings for the cognition of number and space.