Cognitive judgement bias (CJB) refers to the interpretation of ambiguous stimuli in a negative (pessimistic) or positive (optimistic) way. Negative CJB is observed in depression and anxiety, conditions that burden affected individuals and their caregivers. Pre-clinical animal research is key to understanding CJB and developing...
Alzheimer's disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative condition characterized by amyloid beta plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles, which leads to progressive cognitive decline. Several new mouse models of fast amyloid deposition have been generated with compound mutations, but how these affect high-level cognitive function is still not fully...
Abstract Unlocking the neural regulation of complex behavior is a foundational goal of brain science. Touchscreen-based assessments of behavior have been used extensively in the pursuit of this goal, with traditional pharmacological and neurochemical approaches being employed to provide key insights into underlying neural systems. So...
Abstract Some animals seek information to solve problems when they do not know the answer. Information-seeking behavior has become a central focus in studies of animal metacognition, offering insights into how animals monitor their own knowledge states. This behavior is often considered a form of metacognitive...
Abstract The explore/exploit tradeoff is a fundamental property of choice selection during reward-guided decision making. In perceptual decision making, higher certainty decisions are more motorically precise, even when the decision does not require motor accuracy. However, while we can parametrically control uncertainty in perceptual tasks, we...
Abstract Maternal immune activation (MIA) induces a variety of behavioral and brain abnormalities in offspring of rodent models, compatible with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia or autism. However, it remains controversial whether MIA impairs reversal learning, a basic expression of cognitive flexibility that seems to be...
Abstract Touchscreen devices, ubiquitous in humans’ day-to-day life, offer a promising avenue for animal enrichment. With advanced cognitive abilities, keen visual perception, and adeptness to engage with capacitive screens using dexterous tongues, parrots are uniquely positioned to benefit from this technology. Additionally, pet parrots often lack...
"Touchscreen computers, tablets and phones are all the rage right now with kids and adults alike. And, we’re learning that dolphins might not be any different.That’s right. Dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Md., now have an eight-foot underwater computer touchscreen attached to the...
Abstract: Automated touchscreen-based tasks are increasingly used to investigate various aspects of learning and behavior in mice. However, researchers often provide only brief descriptions of the training processes that precede the acquisition of experimental tasks, and shaping protocols typically lack detailed documentation. This study presents a...
Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a test to assess visual function in pigs using the visual psychophysics contrast sensitivity function.Methods: We utilized a touchscreen along with a pellet reward dispenser to train three Göttingen pigs on a visual psychophysics test and...