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PubMed2004

Detour behaviour in three species of birds: quails (Coturnix sp.), herring gulls (Larus cachinnans) and canaries (Serinus canaria).

Detour behaviour is the ability of an animal to reach a goal stimulus by moving round any interposed obstacle. It has been widely studied and has been proposed as a test of insight learning in several species of mammals, but few data are available in birds. A comparative study in three species of birds, belonging to different eco-ethological niches, allows a better understanding of the cognitive mechanism of such detour behaviour. Young quails (Coturnix sp.), herring gulls (Larus cachinnans) and canaries (Serinus canaria), 1 month old, 10-25 days old and 4-6 months old, respectively, were tested in a detour situation requiring them to abandon a clear view of a biologically interesting object (their own reflection in a mirror) in order to approach that object. Birds were placed in a closed corridor, at one end of which was a barrier through which the object was visible. Four different types of barrier were used: vertical bar, horizontal bar, grid and transparent. Two symmetrical apertures placed midline in the corridor allowed the birds to adopt routes passing around the barrier. After entering the apertures, birds could turn either right or left to re-establish social contact with the object in the absence of any local sensory cues emanating from it. Quails appeared able to solve the task, though their performance depended on the type of barrier used, which appeared to modulate their relative interest in approaching the object or in exploring the surroundings. Young herring gulls also showed excellent abilities to locate spatially the out-of-view object, except when the transparent barrier was used. Canaries, on the other hand, appeared completely unable to solve the detour task, whatever barrier was in use. It is suggested that these species differences can be accounted for in terms of adaptation to a terrestrial or aerial environment.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Spatial relational learning in rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus).

There is increasing evidence that animals can learn abstract spatial relationships, and successfully transfer this knowledge to novel situations. In this study, rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) were trained to feed from either the lower or the higher of two flowers. When presented with a test pair of flowers, one of which was at a novel height, they chose the flower in the appropriate spatial position rather than the flower at the correct height. This response may also have been influenced by a preference for taller flowers as acquisition of the task during experimental training occurred more readily when the reward flower was the taller of the pair. Thus, it appears that although learning abstract relationships may be a general phenomenon across contexts, and perhaps across species, the ease with which they are learned and the context in which they are subsequently used may not be the same.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Spatial rotations and transpositions in orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus) and chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes).

This study investigated the ability of three chimpanzees and three orangutans to track the position of a reward after a series of displacements. The reward was placed under one of two opaque containers resting on a platform. Experiment 1 investigated rotational displacements in which the platform was rotated 0 degrees, 180 degrees, or 360 degrees. Experiment 2 investigated transpositional displacements in which the platform remained stationary while the containers either remained stationary, or swapped their positions (in a one- two- or three-step sequence). In both experiments, the initial position of the reward was indicated either by directly showing the reward under the containers, or by placing a landmark, which had been previously associated with the reward, on top of the baited container. Subjects successfully tracked the reward through rotations and transpositions when they had seen it, but their performance substantially deteriorated when the landmark indicated the reward's initial position, even though subjects successfully used the landmark to find the reward in the absence of displacements. This decrease was especially pronounced in rotational displacements. A language-trained orangutan outperformed all the other apes and solved all problems.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Chimpanzees' constructional praxis (Pan paniscus, P. troglodytes).

This study investigated chimpanzees' spontaneous spatial constructions with objects and especially their ability to repeat inter-object spatial relations, which is basic to understanding spatial relations at a higher level than perception or recognition. Subjects were six chimpanzees-four chimpanzees and two bonobos-aged 6-21 years, all raised in a human environment from an early age. Only minor species differences, but considerable individual differences were found. The effect of different object samples was assessed through a comparison with a previous study. A common overall chimpanzee pattern was also found. Chimpanzees repeated different types of inter-object spatial relations such as insertion (I), or vertical (V), or next-to (H) relations. However chimpanzees repeated I or V relations with more advanced procedures than when repeating H relations. Moreover, chimpanzees never repeated combined HV relations. Compared with children, chimpanzees showed a specific difficulty in repeating H relations. Repeating H relations is crucial for representing and understanding multiple reciprocal spatial relations between detached elements and for coordinating independent positions in space. Therefore, the chimpanzees' difficulty indicates a fundamental difference in constructive space in comparison to humans. The findings are discussed in relation to issues of spatial cognition and tool use.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

How spatial orientation of Japanese text affects fixation points in patients with bilateral macular atrophy.

PURPOSE: To ascertain the retinal area used by patients with bilateral macular atrophy when reading Japanese text of different character sizes written horizontally or vertically. In addition, to determine fixation points as part of the first of a series of studies designed ultimately to enhance the quality of life of these patients through the improvement of reading acuity. METHODS: Seventeen patients (34 eyes) with bilateral macular atrophy were tested to determine the retinal area employed for reading (R fixation point). Sentences were arranged either horizontally or vertically and projected onto the retina using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope. We also determined the fixation point using microperimetry (M fixation point). The positional relationships between these two fixation points and the scotoma were examined. RESULTS: The R and M fixation points were the same in 20 of the 34 eyes. Multiple R fixation points were found in 11 eyes. The R fixation point was frequently positioned above the lesion when reading horizontally (nine eyes), while it was often positioned in the area nasal to (eight eyes) or temporal to (six eyes) the lesion when reading vertically. CONCLUSIONS: Fixation points changed frequently in these patients with bilateral macular atrophy depending on the spatial orientation of the text. These data should be used in the future to help patients learn how to use the preferred retinal locus to improve their reading skills and enhance their quality of life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Memory deficit in mice administered aluminum-maltolate complex.

Recently, aluminum (Al) has been identified as one of the environmental factors responsible for cause certain nerve degeneration diseases, particularly, Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relationship between Al and AD is controversial. We previously examined whether Al induced neurotoxin in the brain of mice when aluminum-maltolate complex (ALM) was administered daily for 120 days. Our results revealed that Al accumulated in the brain induced oxidative stress, and the nerve degeneration was detected in the brain of the ALM-treated group. On the basis of these results, we have tried to examine whether the incorporated Al affects memory in mice with regard to an indicator of spatial memory deficits depending on the chemical forms of Al, namely, as an ion (AlCl3) and in the form of a complex (ALM). We administered saline, AlCl3, and ALM at a concentration of 40 micromol Al/kg body weight to mice by daily ip injections for 60 days. We assessed spatial memory by a water maze task and determined the Al levels in the brain of the mice by the neutron activation analysis method. Spatial memory deficit as an indicator of the swimming time was related to Al accumulation in the brain of mice; the chemical form of the Al compound was important in order to exhibit the memory deficit in mice; the uptake of Al is higher in mice when it is administered in a complex form than in an ionic form.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A controlled attractor network model of path integration in the rat.

Cells in several areas of the hippocampal formation show place specific firing patterns, and are thought to form a distributed representation of an animal's current location in an environment. Experimental results suggest that this representation is continually updated even in complete darkness, indicating the presence of a path integration mechanism in the rat. Adopting the Neural Engineering Framework (NEF) presented by Eliasmith and Anderson (2003) we derive a novel attractor network model of path integration, using heterogeneous spiking neurons. The network we derive incorporates representation and updating of position into a single layer of neurons, eliminating the need for a large external control population, and without making use of multiplicative synapses. An efficient and biologically plausible control mechanism results directly from applying the principles of the NEF. We simulate the network for a variety of inputs, analyze its performance, and give three testable predictions of our model.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1985

Place preference conditioning with methylphenidate and nomifensine.

The role of central catecholaminergic systems in place preference conditioning produced by methylphenidate and nomifensine was investigated. Several doses of either methylphenidate or nomifensine produced alterations in place preferences, while desipramine (10 mg/kg), a relatively selective noradrenergic uptake inhibitor, was ineffective, Haloperidol (0.15-0.5 mg/kg) did not attenuate place preferences induced with methylphenidate (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg) or nomifensine (5.0 mg/kg), although conditioning with methylphenidate (5.0 mg/kg) was blocked after injections of a high dose of haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg). Intraventricular injections of 6-hydroxydopamine had no effect on methylphenidate (2.5 mg/kg) induced place preferences. In contrast, pretreatment with haloperidol (0.2 mg/kg) or intraventricular injections of 6-hydroxydopamine attenuated locomotor activity induced by methylphenidate (5.0 mg/kg). These results suggest that methylphenidate and nomifensine produce place preferences via mechanisms that are either qualitatively or quantitatively distinct from their catecholamine-dependent stimulant actions.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Unilateral and bilateral cortical spreading depression interferes with radial maze performance in rats.

Seven rats with implanted cortical electrodes were trained in a 12-arm radial maze to asymptomatic performance (1.38 errors per trial). Single waves of cortical spreading depression (CSD) were elicited by application of cathodal current to the parieto-occipital cortex and monitored by suppression of callosal responses in the frontal cortex. Bilateral CSD elicited before the trial caused a small increase of error incidence in choices 1-6 but did not affect accuracy of choices 7-12. Bilateral CSD between choices 6 and 7 increased error incidence in the second half of the trial from 1.33 to 2.84, i.e. almost to the chance level of 3.0. Unilateral CSDs elicited before the first half of the trial in one hemisphere and in the same or in the contralateral hemisphere before the second half of the trial caused similar deterioration of performance in choices 7-12 (2.4 and 2.1 errors, respectively). It is concluded that the CSD effects have both proactive and retroactive components and that the working memory record is not lateralized at the cortical level.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) induced by passive head rotation and goal-directed saccadic eye movements do not simply add in man.

Additivity between vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and saccadic eye movements was quantified in man by passively rotating the subject's head as he tracked a stepping target. A systematically increased gaze (i.e. eye + head) saccadic velocity was observed when the head was rotated toward the target, as compared to a head-fixed condition, indicating that VOR and saccades do not fully add. Moreover, although VOR was assumed to be inhibited during ocular saccades, mean gaze saccadic amplitude remained unchanged. This would suggest an on-line computation of gaze position to be fed back to the saccadic system in order to stop the saccade once gaze reaches its goal.

Eye Movements↗
PubMed1986

Spatial factors determine the activity of multisensory neurons in cat superior colliculus.

The responses of a neuron to stimuli from one sensory modality can be profoundly influenced by inputs from other sensory modalities. The present experiments demonstrate that the nature and the magnitude of these multisensory interactions depend on the positions of the stimuli in relation to their respective receptive fields. The spatial rules governing these interactions underscore the significance of the alignment of sensory maps in the brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Combined cholinergic and serotonergic denervation of the forebrain produces severe deficits in a spatial learning task in the rat.

The purpose of the present experiments was to study the effects of a combined cholinergic and serotonergic denervation of the rat forebrain on spatial learning using the Morris water maze task. Experiment 1 compared the acute effects of a radiofrequency lesion of the septum, an intraventricular 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) lesion, and a combined septal plus 5,7-DHT lesion. Although the 5,7-DHT lesion alone did not produce any significant deficits in the water maze task, the lesion greatly potentiated the learning impairments produced by the septal lesion. Thus, the rats with both lesions combined showed severe difficulties in finding the platform and they did not develop any place navigational search strategy. This effect was not dependent on any effect on swimming ability or locomotor activity. The long-term effects of the combined septal and 5,7-DHT lesion was investigated in experiment 2, where the rats were tested in the water maze both 5 and 24-25 weeks after surgery. In this experiment, the rats showed the same severe deficits in spatial learning in both tests, showing that the impairments remain for long periods and after extended training. The results show that a combination of a cholinergic and a serotonergic denervation of the rat forebrain produces pronounced impairments in spatial learning in the Morris water maze task, and that this effect is long-lasting. This indicates that the recently proposed serotonergic deficit in patients with Alzheimer's disease may contribute importantly to the cognitive disabilities in these patients.

5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine↗