Lai Wen-Sung, Johnston Robert E
Department of Psychology, 286 Uris Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Physiol Behav. 2002 Jun 1;76(2):225-39. doi: 10.1016/s0031-9384(02)00721-7.
Individual recognition is crucial for many aspects of social behavior and may be a specially evolved type of learning and memory. Using golden hamsters, we developed a behavioral method for the investigation of individual recognition. After a series of three brief fights, the two males were categorized as winners or losers. In Experiments 1 and 2, the loser was then tested in a Y-maze after four different intervals (30 min, 1 day, 3 days and 7 days). In Experiment 1, the familiar winner was confined in a stimulus compartment at the end of one arm of the Y, whereas no animal occupied the opposite arm. The results showed that the losers in the experimental group spent the most time in the base of the Y (in or near the start box). They also showed hesitancy to approach the winners' odors and spent less time near them than they spent in the same area when tested with no stimulus males present. In contrast, No Fight control males spent the most time near the stimulus males and did not hesitate in approaching them. In Experiment 2, losers spent less time near the odors of a familiar winner than control losers spent near unfamiliar winners, suggesting recognition of a particular winner. In Experiment 3, the losers were tested just once, 7 days after the last interaction. Again, they spent the most time in the base of the Y and avoided the arm with odors of their specific winners. These results suggest that losers learn to recognize individuals during brief interactions and remember this information for both the short term (30 min) and the long term (at least 1 week). This behavioral method will be useful for further investigation of individual recognition and the neural mechanisms underlying this kind of memory.
个体识别对于社会行为的许多方面都至关重要，并且可能是一种经过特殊进化的学习和记忆类型。我们使用金黄仓鼠开发了一种行为方法来研究个体识别。经过一系列三场短暂打斗后，将两只雄性仓鼠分为赢家或输家。在实验1和实验2中，然后让输家在经过四个不同间隔时间（30分钟、1天、3天和7天）后在Y迷宫中接受测试。在实验1中，熟悉的赢家被关在Y形迷宫一条臂末端的刺激隔室内，而另一条臂没有动物占据。结果表明，实验组中的输家在Y形迷宫底部（起始箱内或附近）花费的时间最多。他们在接近赢家气味时也表现出犹豫，并且与在没有刺激雄性仓鼠的情况下测试时相比，在赢家附近花费的时间更少。相比之下，无打斗对照组的雄性仓鼠在刺激雄性仓鼠附近花费的时间最多，并且接近它们时没有犹豫。在实验2中，输家在熟悉的赢家气味附近花费的时间比对照组输家在不熟悉的赢家气味附近花费的时间少，这表明它们能够识别特定的赢家。在实验3中，输家在最后一次互动7天后只接受了一次测试。同样，它们在Y形迷宫底部花费的时间最多，并避开了带有其特定赢家气味的臂。这些结果表明，输家在短暂互动过程中学会识别个体，并能在短期（30分钟）和长期（至少1周）记住这些信息。这种行为方法将有助于进一步研究个体识别以及这种记忆背后的神经机制。
