How do global and local geometries shape exploratory behavior in rats?

Yaski, Osnat; Eilam, David

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2007.09.027

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…a small door in the wall separation the light and dark compartment, an open, large light compartment vs. a small, closed dark compartment; [92,93]). We believe that the lack of these cues makes the cLDB a better instrument to measure light avoidance or dark preference than the light-dark boxes normally used in rodent studies (see also [94]). The equal size of both compartments also makes it possible to compare locomotor activity in both compartments directly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional reactivity and cognitive performance in aversively motivated tasks: a comparison between four rat strains

et al. 2009

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BackgroundCognitive function might be affected by the subjects' emotional reactivity. We assessed whether behavior in different tests of emotional reactivity is correlated with performance in aversively motivated learning tasks, using four strains of rats generally considered to have a different emotional reactivity.MethodsThe performance of male Brown Norway, Lewis, Fischer 344, and Wistar Kyoto rats in open field (OF), elevated plus-maze (EPM), and circular light-dark preference box (cLDB) tasks, which are believed to provide measures of emotional reactivity, was evaluated. Spatial working and reference memory were assessed in two aversively motivated learning and memory tasks: the standard and the "repeated acquisition" versions of the Morris water maze escape task, respectively. All rats were also tested in a passive avoidance task. At the end of the study, levels of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and 5-HT turnover in the hippocampus and frontal cortex were determined.ResultsStrain differences showed a complex pattern across behavioral tests and serotonergic measures. Fischer 344 rats had the poorest performance in both versions of the Morris water escape task, whereas Brown Norway rats performed these tasks very well but the passive avoidance task poorly. Neither correlation analysis nor principal component analysis provided convincing support for the notion that OF, EPM, and cLDB tasks measure the same underlying trait.ConclusionsOur findings do not support the hypothesis that the level of emotional reactivity modulates cognitive performance in aversively motivated tasks. Concepts such as "emotional reactivity" and "learning and memory" cannot adequately be tapped with only one behavioral test. Our results emphasize the need for multiple testing.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional reactivity and cognitive performance in aversively motivated tasks: a comparison between four rat strains

et al. 2009

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“…The open field has also been used to identify differences in the behavior of individuals, strains, sexes, and species [17,18,29,30]. Manipulations of the standard open field environment, such as turning off the lights or placing objects in the field, have also been used to further investigate differences in behavior [9,10,30,32,33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other research has placed A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t free standing corners in a standard open field and in a round field with curved walls. A free-standing corner, whatever its location in the field, is an attractive point for exploration; however, the home base is usually located at a perimeter corner, if available [31,32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of rat sex differences and lighting on locomotor exploration of a circular open field with free-standing central corners and without peripheral walls

Alstott

Timberlake

2009

Behavioural Brain Research

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Abstract:A typical open field consists of a square enclosure, bounded by four straight walls joined by identical corners. For decades behavioral researchers have used the open center and more sheltered perimeter of such fields to examine the effects of drugs, sex differences, and illumination on the behavioral expression of fear and anxiety. The present study used a circular field to "reverse" the security of different areas, providing a center sheltered by six free-standing corners and an open perimeter to re-examine the functional relation of open field behavior to experience, sex differences and lighting. Across six daily exposures, males in both the light and dark rapidly increased their preference for the center. Females in the light developed a similar pattern, though more slowly; females in the dark continued to spend the great majority of their time in the open periphery, including the edge of the field. The behavior of all groups, but especially the dark females, strongly supports the continued importance of environmental assessment in open field behavior.

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“…Different issues further complicate the nature of global information processing, such as principal axes versus medial axes (Cheng & Gallistel, 2005;Gallistel, 1990), and inconsistent definitions of local geometric information. Yaski and Eilam (2008) provided evidence showing that rats' behavior toward objects in spatial arrays was affected by the enclosure of global shapes. Furthermore, Ben-Yehoshua, Yaski, and Eilam (2011) showed that when the global shape of environments was gradually altered, rats' behavior changed accordingly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Influence of global shapes on children's coding of local geometric information in small-scale spaces

Chiang

2013

Learning and Motivation

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How do global and local geometries shape exploratory behavior in rats?

Cited by 21 publications

References 36 publications

Emotional reactivity and cognitive performance in aversively motivated tasks: a comparison between four rat strains

Emotional reactivity and cognitive performance in aversively motivated tasks: a comparison between four rat strains

Effects of rat sex differences and lighting on locomotor exploration of a circular open field with free-standing central corners and without peripheral walls

Influence of global shapes on children's coding of local geometric information in small-scale spaces

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