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Ao W, Grace M, Floyd CL, Vonder Haar C. A Touchscreen Device for Behavioral Testing in Pigs. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10102612. [PMID: 36289877 PMCID: PMC9599053 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigs are becoming more common research models due to their utility in studying neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s Disease. However, behavioral tasks often require a large apparatus and are not automated, which may disinterest researchers in using important functional measures. To address this, we developed a touchscreen that pigs could be trained on for behavioral testing. A rack-mounted touchscreen monitor was placed in an enclosed, weighted audio rack. A pellet dispenser was operated by a radio frequency transceiver to deliver fruit-flavored sugar pellets from across the testing room. Programs were custom written in Python and executed on a microcomputer. A behavioral shaping program was designed to train pigs to interact with the screen and setup responses for future tasks. Pigs rapidly learned to interact with the screen. To demonstrate efficacy in more complex behavior, two pigs were trained on a delay discounting tasks and two pigs on a color discrimination task. The device held up to repeated testing of large pigs and could be adjusted to the height of minipigs. The device can be easily recreated and constructed at a relatively low cost. Research topics ranging from brain injury to pharmacology to vision could benefit from behavioral tasks designed to specifically interrogate relevant function. More work will be needed to develop tests which are of specific relevance to these disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Ao
- Injury and Recovery Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University, 460 W 12th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Megan Grace
- Injury and Recovery Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University, 460 W 12th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Candace L. Floyd
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Cole Vonder Haar
- Injury and Recovery Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University, 460 W 12th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Correspondence:
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Luo L, Reimert I, Graat EAM, Smeets S, Kemp B, Bolhuis JE. Effects of early life and current housing on sensitivity to reward loss in a successive negative contrast test in pigs. Anim Cogn 2019; 23:121-130. [PMID: 31720926 PMCID: PMC6981316 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01322-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Animals in a negative affective state seem to be more sensitive to reward loss, i.e. an unexpected decrease in reward size. The aim of this study was to investigate whether early-life and current enriched vs. barren housing conditions affect the sensitivity to reward loss in pigs using a successive negative contrast test. Pigs (n = 64 from 32 pens) were housed in barren or enriched conditions from birth onwards, and at 7 weeks of age experienced either a switch in housing conditions (from barren to enriched or vice versa) or not. Allotting pigs to the different treatments was balanced for coping style (proactive vs. reactive). One pig per pen was trained to run for a large reward and one for a small reward. Reward loss was introduced for pigs receiving the large reward after 11 days (reward downshift), i.e. from then onwards, they received the small reward. Pigs housed in barren conditions throughout life generally had a lower probability and higher latency to get the reward than other pigs. Proactive pigs ran overall slower than reactive pigs. After the reward downshift, all pigs ran slower. Nevertheless, reward downshift increased the latency and reduced the probability to get to the reward, but only in pigs exposed to barren conditions in early life, which thus were more sensitive to reward loss than pigs from enriched early life housing. In conclusion, barren housed pigs seemed overall less motivated for the reward, and early life housing conditions had long-term effects on the sensitivity to reward loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Luo
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - I Reimert
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - E A M Graat
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - S Smeets
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - B Kemp
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - J E Bolhuis
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Roelofs S, Alferink FAC, Ipema AF, van de Pas T, van der Staay FJ, Nordquist RE. Discrimination learning and judgment bias in low birth weight pigs. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:657-671. [PMID: 31049725 PMCID: PMC6687882 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01262-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Low birth weight (LBW) is a risk factor for cognitive and emotional impairments in humans. In pigs, LBW is a common occurrence, but its effects on cognition and emotion have received only limited scientific attention. To assess whether LBW pigs suffer from impaired cognitive and emotional development, we trained and tested 21 LBW and 21 normal birth weight (NBW) pigs in a judgment bias task. Judgment bias is a measure of emotional state which reflects the influence of emotion on an animal’s interpretation of ambiguous stimuli. Pigs were trained to perform a specific behavioral response to two auditory stimuli, predicting either a positive or negative outcome. Once pigs successfully discriminated between these stimuli, they were presented with intermediate, ambiguous stimuli. The pigs’ responses to ambiguous stimuli were scored as optimistic (performance of ‘positive’ response) or pessimistic (performance of ‘negative’ response). Optimistic or pessimistic interpretation of an ambiguous stimulus is indicative of a positive or negative emotional state, respectively. We found LBW pigs to require more discrimination training sessions than NBW pigs to reach criterion performance, suggesting that LBW causes a mild cognitive impairment in pigs. No effects of LBW on judgment bias were found, suggesting a similar emotional state for LBW and NBW pigs. This was supported by comparable salivary and hair cortisol concentrations for both groups. It is possible the enriched housing conditions and social grouping applied during our study influenced these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Roelofs
- Behaviour and Welfare Group, Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht University, Stratenum Building, Room STR5.203, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Studies, Swine Teaching and Research Center, New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 382 W Street Road, Kennett Square, PA, 19348, USA
| | - Floor A C Alferink
- Behaviour and Welfare Group, Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Study Programme Applied Biology, HAS University of Applied Sciences, Onderwijsboulevard 221, 5223 DE, 's Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
| | - Allyson F Ipema
- Behaviour and Welfare Group, Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen University, De Elst 1, 6708 WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tessa van de Pas
- Behaviour and Welfare Group, Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Studies, Swine Teaching and Research Center, New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 382 W Street Road, Kennett Square, PA, 19348, USA
| | - Franz Josef van der Staay
- Behaviour and Welfare Group, Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht University, Stratenum Building, Room STR5.203, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rebecca E Nordquist
- Behaviour and Welfare Group, Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL, Utrecht, The Netherlands. .,Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Utrecht University, Stratenum Building, Room STR5.203, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Nawroth C, Langbein J, Coulon M, Gabor V, Oesterwind S, Benz-Schwarzburg J, von Borell E. Farm Animal Cognition-Linking Behavior, Welfare and Ethics. Front Vet Sci 2019; 6:24. [PMID: 30838218 PMCID: PMC6383588 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Farm animal welfare is a major concern for society and food production. To more accurately evaluate animal farming in general and to avoid exposing farm animals to poor welfare situations, it is necessary to understand not only their behavioral but also their cognitive needs and capacities. Thus, general knowledge of how farm animals perceive and interact with their environment is of major importance for a range of stakeholders, from citizens to politicians to cognitive ethologists to philosophers. This review aims to outline the current state of farm animal cognition research and focuses on ungulate livestock species, such as cattle, horses, pigs and small ruminants, and reflects upon a defined set of cognitive capacities (physical cognition: categorization, numerical ability, object permanence, reasoning, tool use; social cognition: individual discrimination and recognition, communication with humans, social learning, attribution of attention, prosociality, fairness). We identify a lack of information on certain aspects of physico-cognitive capacities in most farm animal species, such as numerosity discrimination and object permanence. This leads to further questions on how livestock comprehend their physical environment and understand causal relationships. Increasing our knowledge in this area will facilitate efforts to adjust husbandry systems and enrichment items to meet the needs and preferences of farm animals. Research in the socio-cognitive domain indicates that ungulate livestock possess sophisticated mental capacities, such as the discrimination between, and recognition of, conspecifics as well as human handlers using multiple modalities. Livestock also react to very subtle behavioral cues of conspecifics and humans. These socio-cognitive capacities can impact human-animal interactions during management practices and introduce ethical considerations on how to treat livestock in general. We emphasize the importance of gaining a better understanding of how livestock species interact with their physical and social environments, as this information can improve housing and management conditions and can be used to evaluate the use and treatment of animals during production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Nawroth
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, Agroscope Tänikon, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jan Langbein
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | | | - Vivian Gabor
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Susann Oesterwind
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Judith Benz-Schwarzburg
- Unit for Ethics and Human-Animal Studies, Messerli Research Institute, Vetmeduni Vienna, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eberhard von Borell
- Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
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Zebunke M, Kreiser M, Melzer N, Langbein J, Puppe B. Better, Not Just More-Contrast in Qualitative Aspects of Reward Facilitates Impulse Control in Pigs. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2099. [PMID: 30459682 PMCID: PMC6232270 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Delay-of-gratification paradigms, such as the famous "Marshmallow Test," are designed to investigate the complex cognitive concepts of self-control and impulse control in humans and animals. Such tests determine whether a subject will demonstrate impulse control by choosing a large, delayed reward over an immediate, but smaller reward. Documented relationships between impulsive behavior and aggression in humans and animals suggest important implications for farm animal husbandry and welfare, especially in terms of inadequate social behavior, tail biting and maternal behavior. In a preliminary study, we investigated whether the extent of impulse control would differ between quantitatively and qualitatively different aspects of reward in pigs. Twenty female piglets were randomly divided into two groups, with 10 piglets each. After a preference test to determine individual reward preference among six different food items, a discrimination test was conducted to train for successful discrimination between different amounts of reward (one piece vs. four pieces) and different qualitative aspects of reward (highly preferred vs. least preferred food item). Then, an increasing delay (2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 s) was introduced for the larger/highly preferred reward. Each piglet could choose to get the smaller/least preferred reward immediately or to wait for the larger/highly preferred reward. Piglets showed clear differences in their preference for food items. Moreover, the "quality group" displayed faster learning in the discrimination test (number of sessions until 90% of the animals completed the discrimination test: "quality group"-3 days vs. "quantity group"-5 days) and reached a higher level of impulse control in the delay-of-gratification test compared to the "quantity group" (maximum delay that was mastered: "quality group"-24 s vs. "quantity group"-8 s). These results demonstrate that impulse control is present in piglets but that the opportunity to get a highly preferred reward is more valued than the opportunity to get more of a given reward. This outcome also underlines the crucial role of motivation in cognitive test paradigms. Further investigations will examine whether impulse control is related to traits that are relevant to animal husbandry and welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Zebunke
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Maren Kreiser
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
- Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Nina Melzer
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Jan Langbein
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Birger Puppe
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
- Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Veroude K, Zhang-James Y, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Bakker MJ, Cormand B, Faraone SV. Genetics of aggressive behavior: An overview. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2016; 171B:3-43. [PMID: 26345359 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) address three types of aggression: frustrative non-reward, defensive aggression and offensive/proactive aggression. This review sought to present the evidence for genetic underpinnings of aggression and to determine to what degree prior studies have examined phenotypes that fit into the RDoC framework. Although the constructs of defensive and offensive aggression have been widely used in the animal genetics literature, the human literature is mostly agnostic with regard to all the RDoC constructs. We know from twin studies that about half the variance in behavior may be explained by genetic risk factors. This is true for both dimensional, trait-like, measures of aggression and categorical definitions of psychopathology. The non-shared environment seems to have a moderate influence with the effects of shared environment being unclear. Human molecular genetic studies of aggression are in an early stage. The most promising candidates are in the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems along with hormonal regulators. Genome-wide association studies have not yet achieved genome-wide significance, but current samples are too small to detect variants having the small effects one would expect for a complex disorder. The strongest molecular evidence for a genetic basis for aggression comes from animal models comparing aggressive and non-aggressive strains or documenting the effects of gene knockouts. Although we have learned much from these prior studies, future studies should improve the measurement of aggression by using a systematic method of measurement such as that proposed by the RDoC initiative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Veroude
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Yanli Zhang-James
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,Departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Mireille J Bakker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Stephen V Faraone
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,Departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Evidence for a link between tail biting and central monoamine metabolism in pigs (Sus scrofa domestica). Physiol Behav 2015; 143:151-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.02.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Revised: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Webb LE, van Reenen CG, Jensen MB, Schmitt O, Bokkers EA. Does temperament affect learning in calves? Appl Anim Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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