Author Information
Todd Myers, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, United StatesJeffrey Langston, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, United States
Abstract
Swine and humans share similar gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems, and also a gyrenchephalic brain (folded cerebral cortex). Therefore, swine could be a valuable animal model for developing new medicines for the treatment of traumatic brain injury, stroke, aging, obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease but functional behavioral outcomes must be measured. Unfortunately, standard behavioral tests have not been developed for swine. Therefore, we created a computer-controlled behavioral testing system with three levers for recording responses, lights as discriminative stimuli, and a specialized receptacle to deliver food reinforcers and measure motivation. Swine may be able to replace monkeys in some research, so we adapted two behavioral tests from our monkey behavioral assessments: delayed match-to-sample (a memory test) and temporal response differentiation (a time-estimation test). All pigs rapidly learned both tests to stable performance. Next, scopolamine (a widely used amnestic drug, at doses of 0 to 75 micrograms per kilogram) validated the sensitivity of the behavioral tests, dose-dependently perturbing memory and concentration. Importantly, these drug-induced changes were comparable to those seen in rats, monkeys, and humans, suggesting comparability across species. Thus, we were successful in satisfying the need for standardized behavioral tests in this species. Ease of use (automation, home-cage testing) and the diversity of potential tests make this system a welcome addition to laboratory animal psychology. This capability will be instrumental for standardized psychological testing of swine, and for assessing functional behavioral outcomes to advance the treatment of traumatic brain injury, stroke, obesity, diabetes, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease.
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