Enemy avoidance task: a novel behavioral paradigm for assessing spatial avoidance of a moving subject
Language English Country Netherlands Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PubMed
19427526
DOI
10.1016/j.jneumeth.2009.02.010
PII: S0165-0270(09)00114-9
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- MeSH
- Behavioral Sciences methods MeSH
- Behavior, Animal physiology MeSH
- Rats MeSH
- Neuropsychological Tests MeSH
- Neuropsychology methods MeSH
- Orientation physiology MeSH
- Memory physiology MeSH
- Exploratory Behavior physiology MeSH
- Movement physiology MeSH
- Motor Activity physiology MeSH
- Rats, Long-Evans MeSH
- Psychomotor Performance physiology MeSH
- Fear physiology MeSH
- Avoidance Learning physiology MeSH
- Space Perception physiology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Rats MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
Navigation with respect to moving goals represents a useful ability in the everyday life of animals. We have developed a novel behavioral paradigm, "enemy avoidance task", in which a laboratory rat (subject) was trained to avoid another rat (enemy), while searching for small pasta pellets dispensed onto an experimental arena. Whenever the distance between the two animals was smaller than 25 cm, the subject was given a mild electric footshock. The results have shown that rats are capable of avoiding another rat while exploring an environment. Therefore, the enemy avoidance task can be used in electrophysiological, lesion or neuropharmacological studies exploring neuronal substrate coding for egocentric and allocentric positions of an observed animal.
References provided by Crossref.org
Functional inactivation of the rat hippocampus disrupts avoidance of a moving object
