Fizet Jonas, Rimele Adam, Pebayle Thierry, Cassel Jean-Christophe, Kelche Christian, Meunier Hélène
Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), F-67000 Strasbourg, France; CNRS, LNCA UMR 7364, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; Centre de Primatologie de l'Université de Strasbourg, Niederhausbergen, France.
Centre de Primatologie de l'Université de Strasbourg, Niederhausbergen, France.
Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2017 Nov;145:45-58. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.07.013. Epub 2017 Jul 31.
Research methods in cognitive neuroscience using non-human primates have undergone notable changes over the last decades. Recently, several research groups have described freely accessible devices equipped with a touchscreen interface. Two characteristics of such systems are of particular interest: some apparatuses include automated identification of subjects, while others are mobile. Here, we designed, tested and validated an experimental system that, for the first time, combine automatization and mobility. Moreover, our system allows autonomous learning and testing of cognitive performance in group-living subjects, including follow-up assessments. The mobile apparatus is designed to be available 24h a day, 7days a week, in a typical confined primate breeding and housing facility. Here we present as proof of concept, the results of two pilot studies. We report that rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) learned the tasks rapidly and achieved high-level of stable performance. Approaches of this kind should be developed for future pharmacological and biomedical studies in non-human primates.
在过去几十年中，使用非人类灵长类动物的认知神经科学研究方法发生了显著变化。最近，几个研究小组描述了配备触摸屏界面的可自由使用的设备。这类系统的两个特点特别令人感兴趣：一些设备包括自动识别受试者，而另一些则是可移动的。在这里，我们设计、测试并验证了一个实验系统，该系统首次将自动化和移动性结合起来。此外，我们的系统允许对群居受试者的认知表现进行自主学习和测试，包括后续评估。该移动设备设计为每周7天、每天24小时可在典型的封闭灵长类动物饲养和圈养设施中使用。在这里，我们展示两项初步研究的结果作为概念验证。我们报告称，恒河猴（猕猴）迅速学会了任务并达到了高水平的稳定表现。这类方法应该为未来非人类灵长类动物的药理学和生物医学研究而开发。
