The Influence of an Enriched Environment in Enhancing Recognition Memory in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Environmental enrichment is used to increase social and physical stimulation for animals in captivity which can lead to enhanced cognition. Fundamental to the positive effect enrichment has on the brain is that it provides opportunities for captive animals to recognize and discriminate between different stimuli in the environment. In the wild, being able to discriminate between novel or familiar stimuli has implications for survival, for example finding food, hiding from predators, or even choosing a mate. The novel object recognition (NOR) test is a cognitive task that is used extensively in the rodent literature to assess object recognition and memory, where the amount of time an animal spends exploring a novel vs. familiar object is quantified. Enrichment has been shown to enhance object recognition in rodents. More recently, the use of the NOR test has been applied to another animal model, zebrafish (Danio rerio), however, the effects of enrichment have not yet been explored. In the current study we looked at the effects of enrichment on object recognition in zebrafish using the NOR test. Adult zebrafish were housed in either enriched conditions (gravel substrate, plastic plants, shelter, heater and a filter) or plain conditions (heater and filter only) for 6 months before behavioral NOR tests were conducted. Enriched fish showed a preference for a novel object over a familiar one at a distance but did not show a preference during close inspection. Control fish did not show a preference at either distance. Our results suggest that enrichment can enhance zebrafish ability to discriminate between novel and familiar objects, but distance from the object may be an important factor. Future research is needed to determine whether any enhancements in object recognition are a result of an increase in sensory stimulation from being reared with enrichment, or whether it is due to a reduction in stress reactivity.

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Lighter compared to deeper isoflurane anaesthesia can affect recognition memory in male C57BL/6 mice

10.1101/645051 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Jorge M Ferreira ◽

Ana M Valentim

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Spatial Memory ◽

Recognition Test ◽

Familiar Object ◽

Control Group ◽

Male Mice ◽

Object Recognition Test ◽

Isoflurane Anaesthesia ◽

Novel Object ◽

Different Depths

AbstractConcerns have been raised about how deeply patients are anaesthetized, and the effects that different depths of anaesthesia may have after recovery. In order to study the anaesthetic drugs per se, and to eliminate the effect of clinical variables, several animal studies have been published. Isoflurane induced transient deficits on spatial memory at low concentrations, affecting the hippocampus. However, the influence of different concentrations of isoflurane on non-spatial memory still needs clarification. Thus, our aim was to study the effects of different depths of anaesthesia (1% and 2% isoflurane) on a non-spatial memory task, the object recognition test, in C57BL/6 adult mice.Twenty-eight 2-month-old C57BL/6 male mice were habituated to the test arena of the object recognition test for 10 min each day over 2 days before anaesthesia. Mice were then randomly allocated in different treatment groups: 1% or 2%, anaesthetized with 1% or 2% of isoflurane, respectively, for 1 h or the control group, which was not anaesthetised. Twenty-four hours after anaesthesia, the animals were placed in an arena with two identical objects and allowed to explore for 10 min-Sample Trial. One hour later, mice were allowed to explore the arena for 10 min in the presence of one of the objects presented in the previous trial (familiar object) and a novel object - Choice Trial. The time spent exploring each object was evaluated by a blinded analysis. The recognition of one object as familiar was detected based on a higher level of exploration of the novel object.Animals that were anaesthetized previously with 2% isoflurane performed at control levels, indicating the recognition of a familiar object in the object recognition task; this contrasted with the results of the group that was anaesthetized with 1% isoflurane.Lighter (1%) rather than deeper (2%) isoflurane anaesthesia may affect non-spatial memory in C57BL/6 male mice. Our results raise awareness of the need for careful consideration of the depth of anaesthesia used, especially the use of light isoflurane anaesthesia, which is often chosen to provide animal immobilization during non-invasive procedures.

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Kompleksitas Obyek dan Running-Wheel Mempengaruhi Novel Object Recognition Test pada Mencit (Mus musculus)

Jurnal Sumberdaya Hayati ◽

10.29244/jsdh.4.1.7-11 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 7-11

Author(s):

NISFA HANIM ◽

SALMAH WIDYASTUTI ◽

ACHMAD ALFIYAN ◽

MUHAMMAD AZHARI AKBAR ◽

BERRY JULIANDI

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Recognition Test ◽

Familiar Object ◽

Novel Object Recognition ◽

Running Wheel ◽

Object Recognition Test ◽

Novel Object ◽

Novel Object Recognition Test ◽

Object Effect ◽

Odor Signal

This research aimed to confirm the tendency of mice to novel object, effect of exercise (in running-wheel) toward memory of mice and to test tendency of mice in avoiding predator signal in novel object. Novel object recognition test (NORT) used to test the memory the day after acquisition phase (NORT I) and memory one week after exercise was given (running-wheel) (NORT II). The result showed that there was no tendency of mice in exploring toward novel object in both NORT I and NORT II. This might happen because the complexity of familiar object higher than novel object, so the familiar object could accommodate more activities. Exercise using running-wheel in mice had an effect on memory, it could be seen in decreasing duration of object exploration time from NORT I to NORT II. There was no tendency in avoiding predator’s signal on novel object which was attached by urine addition (odor signal).

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Spontaneous Object Recognition in the Göttingen Minipig

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/np.2002.255 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 255-259 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Anette Moustgaard ◽

Nanna Marie Lind ◽

Ralf Hemmingsen ◽

Axel Kornerup Hansen

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Test Trial ◽

Familiar Object ◽

The Novel ◽

Novel Object ◽

Recognition Procedure ◽

Göttingen Minipig ◽

Sample Trial ◽

Spontaneous Exploration ◽

Spontaneous Object Recognition

Göttingen minipigs were tested in an object recognition procedure based on spontaneous exploration. Eight pigs were exposed to two similar objects in a sample trial and after a one-hour delay exposed to two objects, one familiar and one novel, in a test trial. The pigs explored the novel object significantly more than the familiar object in the test trial (p<0.05), thereby showing recognition of the familiar object. Furthermore, habituation of exploration of the familiar object between the sample trial and the test trial was found (p<0.05). The procedure can be useful for testing of spontaneous trial-unique memory in pigs.

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Environmental Enrichment Improves Novel Object Recognition and Enhances Agonistic Behavior in Male Mice

Aggressive Behavior ◽

10.1002/ab.21481 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 39 (4) ◽

pp. 269-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Patricia Mesa-Gresa ◽

Asunción Pérez-Martinez ◽

Rosa Redolat

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Agonistic Behavior ◽

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Novel Object Recognition ◽

Male Mice ◽

Novel Object

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Reactivation-dependent amnesia for object recognition memory is contingent on hippocampal theta–gamma coupling during recall

Learning & Memory ◽

10.1101/lm.053482.121 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Maria Carolina Gonzalez ◽

Andressa Radiske ◽

Sergio Conde-Ocazionez ◽

Janine I. Rossato ◽

Lia R.M. Bevilaqua ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Recognition Memory ◽

Familiar Object ◽

Gamma Oscillations ◽

Male Rats ◽

Amnesic Effect ◽

Memory Processing ◽

Novel Object ◽

Object Recognition Memory ◽

Hippocampal Theta

Hippocampal dopamine D1/D5 receptor-dependent destabilization is necessary for object recognition memory (ORM) updating through reconsolidation. Dopamine also regulates hippocampal theta and gamma oscillations, which are involved in novelty and memory processing. We found that, in adult male rats, ORM recall in the presence of a novel object, but not in the presence of a familiar one, triggers hippocampal theta–gamma coupling. Hippocampal theta–gamma coupling (hPAC) does not happen when ORM destabilization is prevented by blocking D1/D5 receptors, but artificial hPAC generation during recall in the presence of a familiar object enables the amnesic effect of reconsolidation inhibitors. Therefore, hPAC controls ORM destabilization, and its modulation could increase reconsolidation-based psychotherapy efficacy.

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Evidence for normal novel object recognition abilities in developmental prosopagnosia

10.31219/osf.io/me528 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Regan Fry ◽

Jeremy Bennet Wilmer ◽

Isabella Xie ◽

Mieke Verfaellie ◽

Joseph DeGutis

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Familiar Object ◽

Memory Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Novel Object Recognition ◽

Novel Object ◽

Essentially Normal

The question of the face specificity of recognition deficits in prosopagnosia is fundamental to the organization of high-level visual processing and memory and has been vigorously debated numerous times over the last 20 years. This debate was recently revived in developmental prosopagnosics (DPs) by a meta-analysis reporting that a large percentage of DPs (ranging from 22-80%) have mild to major object recognition deficits (Geskin & Behrmann, 2017). Subsequent studies have also shown significantly lower DP group-level object recognition performance. However, previous investigations measuring object recognition have largely used familiar objects (e.g., cars) where performance may depend on object-specific experience, leaving the question open as to whether DPs would perform similarly when the stimuli are completely unfamiliar objects. To investigate this, in the current study we tested 30 DPs and 30 matched controls on a novel object memory test (NOMT Ziggerins) and the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT). DPs were impaired on the CFMT but performed similarly to controls on the NOMT. We also compared DP NOMT performance to a larger matched sample of 274 web-based controls and found no difference in accuracy or reaction time. Individual analyses demonstrated that only one DP reached major impairment in object recognition on the NOMT, an impairment rate no different from that in either control group. Together, these results demonstrate essentially normal object recognition in DPs for a class of novel objects that serves as a powerful index for broader novel object recognition capacity. These results raise the possibility that DPs do not have object recognition deficits per se, but rather may have a decreased capacity to benefit from their experience with highly familiar object categories.

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