The relationship between problem-solving ability and laterality in cats

Isparta, Sevim; Demirbas, Yasemin Salgirli; Bars, Zeynep; Kul, Bengi Çinar; Güntürkün, Onur; Ocklenburg, Sebastian; Pereira, Goncalo Da Graça

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112691

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Budgerigars with stronger side bias in preening display enhanced discrimination performance [57]. The latter result has some similarity to that found in cats: testing cats on novel tasks requiring them to open a lid and reach inside to obtain a reward, Isparta et al [58] found that those using a single preferred paw were better at solving the problems.…”

Section: Advantage Of Having a Lateralized Brainmentioning

confidence: 59%

Brain Lateralization and Cognitive Capacity

Rogers

2021

Animals

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One way to increase cognitive capacity is to avoid duplication of functions on the left and right sides of the brain. There is a convincing body of evidence showing that such asymmetry, or lateralization, occurs in a wide range of both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Each hemisphere of the brain can attend to different types of stimuli or to different aspects of the same stimulus and each hemisphere analyses information using different neural processes. A brain can engage in more than one task at the same time, as in monitoring for predators (right hemisphere) while searching for food (left hemisphere). Increased cognitive capacity is achieved if individuals are lateralized in one direction or the other. The advantages and disadvantages of individual lateralization are discussed. This paper argues that directional, or population-level, lateralization, which occurs when most individuals in a species have the same direction of lateralization, provides no additional increase in cognitive capacity compared to individual lateralization although directional lateralization is advantageous in social interactions. Strength of lateralization is considered, including the disadvantage of being very strongly lateralized. The role of brain commissures is also discussed with consideration of cognitive capacity.

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Section: Advantage Of Having a Lateralized Brainmentioning

confidence: 59%

Brain Lateralization and Cognitive Capacity

Rogers

2021

Animals

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“…At the same time, the test could evaluate the PS ability of cats by using a similar approach that Isparta et al. used through object manipulation 61 . However, it is also possible that the PS task used in the current study, despite showing a significant impact of age, is not sensitive enough to measure changes in PS ability in cats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hunting behaviour requires complex motor skills for the successful capture and consumption of prey, and studies show that cats consistently use their dominant paw while performing certain cognitive tasks associated with this behaviour (e.g. food reaching tasks) 60,61 . The strength of lateralized behaviour, as expressed in skilled paw usage for object manipulation, is positively correlated with PS ability in domestic cats 61 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…food reaching tasks). 60,61 The strength of lateralized behaviour, as expressed in skilled paw usage for object manipulation, is positively correlated with PS ability in domestic cats. 61 Puzzle boxes or a similar apparatus (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…60,61 The strength of lateralized behaviour, as expressed in skilled paw usage for object manipulation, is positively correlated with PS ability in domestic cats. 61 Puzzle boxes or a similar apparatus (e.g. hole board tasks) have been used as a quick and reliable test for measuring PS and learning ability in cats; that is, they require the cat to obtain a food reward that is inside a puzzle box using paw movements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age‐related cognitive impairments in domestic cats naturally infected with feline immunodeficiency virus

Azadian

Gunn-Moore

2022

Veterinary Record

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Background Age‐related dementia has been documented in domestic cats; however, its interaction with naturally occurring feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection has been investigated minimally. Methods Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and problem‐solving (PS) ability were evaluated in FIV‐infected (n = 37) and control cats (n = 39) using two cognitive tasks tested serially, which assessed the ability of cats to remember the location of a baited container after a set delay, then evaluated the capability of the cats to manipulate the container to obtain the food within a time limit. Cats were categorized using 7 years of age as a cut‐off to determine age‐related differences. The relationship between cognitive performance and FIV viral load was investigated using real‐time PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values. Results Age significantly affected VSWM and PS ability. Younger cats had better VSWM performance and PS ability compared to older cats with the same FIV status. There was no difference between younger FIV‐positive and negative cats in either part of the task. While older FIV‐positive cats had significantly worse VSWM than older FIV‐negative cats, no differences were found in PS ability. Additionally, Ct values predicted VSWM but not PS ability. Conclusion Age‐related cognitive impairments and FIV infection appear synergetic, causing greater cognitive deficits in older FIV‐infected cats.

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