Effects of Different Ways of Music Stimulation on Exploring, Playing and Aggressive Behavior

In the breeding of farm animals, music serves as an environmental enrichment factor that can improve the mood and welfare level of animals. However, it is not clear whether pigs receiving different modes of musical stimulation can improve cognitive performance. This study aimed to explore the extent to which different music stimulation methods affect the cognitive ability-related behaviors and neural substances of weaned piglets by providing them with various music stimuli. Fifty-four piglets were randomly divided into three groups: control group (C Group), continuous music group (CM group), and intermittent music group (IM group). The CM group received half an hour of music stimulation in the morning and afternoon of each day when the piglets were active, the IM group was given a cross-stimulation mode between the music playing time and the music pause time, and the C group had a music player installed in the enclosure, but no music was played, and the test period was 3 d. The results of the study showed the following: (1) Compared with piglets in the C group, piglets in the CM and IM groups showed more exploring behavior and less aggressive behavior (p < 0.05), while the playing behavior of piglets in the CM and IM groups was significantly higher than those in the C group (p < 0.05). (2) Compared with the CM group, the expression of cognition-related DCX, BDNF, and EGR1 genes in hippocampal tissues of the IM group was significantly higher (p < 0.05), and the expression of CREB was significantly lower (p < 0.05). (3) Western blot results showed that the protein expression of neural tissue development and cognitive-related genes (DCX and BDNF) in the hippocampal tissues of the IM group was significantly higher (p < 0.05), and the protein expression of EGR1 was highly significant (p < 0.01), compared with the CM group. These findings may indicate that intermittent music patterns can improve the cognitive abilities of weaned piglets regarding the surrounding physical and social environmental cognitive abilities.