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Translational Difficulties in Querying Rats on "Orientation"
Aliz Judit Ernyey1,2, Eszter Bögi3, Ferenc Kassai1,2
1MTA-SE NAP B Cognitive Translational Behavioural Pharmacology Group, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest 1089, Hungary.
Biomed Research International
|January 25, 2020
Summary
Rats were tested on a modified Morris water-maze to see if they could distinguish the time of day. Neither Lister Hooded nor Long Evans rats showed evidence of time discrimination, even with stricter training.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Cognitive abilities in rodents are crucial for understanding their behavior.
- Assessing temporal orientation in rats can provide insights into their internal clock mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt the ADAS-Cog "orientation" task for rats.
- To investigate if rats can discern the time of day using a modified Morris water-maze.
Main Methods:
- Rats performed a navigation task with platforms at different locations representing morning, noon, and evening.
- Two rat strains, Lister Hooded and Long Evans, were used.
- Modified task parameters included varying swimming paths and punishment for incorrect choices.
Main Results:
- Lister Hooded rats selected platform locations randomly.
- Long Evans rats initially used a win-stay strategy but reverted to random searching.
- Neither strain could discriminate between different times of the day, even with task simplification or punishment.
Conclusions:
- Rats, particularly laboratory strains, may lack the ability to distinguish time of day.
- This deficit could be due to evolutionary factors or loss of ability in domesticated rats.
- Further research is needed to explore the innate or acquired nature of temporal orientation in rats.
