Assessing cognitive functions in tree shrews: visuo-spatial and spatial learning in the home cage

Area of Science:

• Cognitive neuroscience
• Animal behavior research
• Primatology

Background:

• Investigating cognitive abilities in tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) is crucial for understanding primate cognition.
• Traditional cognitive testing often involves stressful procedures like transfer and restraint, potentially confounding results.
• A need exists for a less invasive cognitive assessment method for tree shrews.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel home-cage holeboard paradigm for assessing cognitive function in tree shrews.
• To evaluate the learning speed and stability of tree shrews in this new paradigm.
• To demonstrate the utility of the paradigm for studying stress-induced cognitive impairments.

Main Methods:

• A holeboard apparatus was designed for use within the tree shrew's homecage.
• Nine male tree shrews were tested on visuo-spatial and spatial tasks over 10 days.
• Psychosocial stress was induced in a subset of animals to assess paradigm applicability under stress.

Main Results:

• Tree shrews demonstrated rapid learning, mastering the complex holeboard paradigm within one day (five trials).
• Learning performance remained stable from the second day of testing onwards.
• The paradigm successfully accommodated testing under induced psychosocial stress conditions.

Conclusions:

• The home-cage holeboard paradigm is an effective and efficient tool for evaluating cognitive abilities in tree shrews.
• This method minimizes stress and confounding factors associated with traditional testing arenas.
• The paradigm is suitable for investigating the impact of stress on cognitive functions in tree shrews.