Working and reference memory of pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) in a holeboard spatial discrimination task: the influence of environmental enrichment
Working and reference memory of pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) in a holeboard spatial discrimination task: the influence of environmental enrichment
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DOI：
10.1007/s10071-013-0646-7
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发表时间：
2013-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Kemp, Bas
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bolhuis, J. Elizabeth;Oostindjer, Marije;Kemp, Bas
对猪的认知研究的兴趣正在增加，但人们对环境条件对猪认知能力的影响知之甚少。本研究探讨了丰富的环境对猪在洞板空间任务中的认知表现的影响，在该任务中，它们必须从16个诱饵桶中区分出4个。猪（n = 32）被圈养在刺激贫乏，贫瘠的围栏，或在更大的围栏富含生根基质。对猪进行了30次洞板试验。工作记忆（WM），即比率（诱饵访问/对诱饵桶的（重新）访问总数），和参考记忆（RM），即比率（对诱饵桶的（重新）访问/对所有桶的访问总数），在试验中得到改善。WM分数较高，在猪从丰富的笔比猪从贫瘠的笔。住房不影响RM评分。性格类型的猪，在生命早期使用回测评估，并没有影响WM或RM。总之，猪的饲养条件并不影响参考记忆，但环境丰富提高了猪的工作记忆在一个空间辨别任务。根据本研究的结果，我们认为，猪的认知功能可能会受损，在常用的住房条件。
Interest in cognitive research in pigs is increasing, but little is known about the impact of environmental conditions on pigs' cognitive capabilities. The present study investigated the effect of environmental enrichment on cognitive performance of pigs in a holeboard spatial task, in which they had to discriminate four baited buckets out of 16. Pigs (n = 32) were either housed in stimulus-poor, barren pens, or in larger pens enriched with rooting substrates. Pigs were subjected to 30 holeboard trials. Both working memory (WM), that is, the ratio (baited visits/total number of (re)visits to baited buckets), and reference memory (RM), that is, the ratio ((re)visits to baited buckets/total number of visits to all buckets), improved over trials. WM scores were higher in pigs from enriched pens than in pigs from barren pens. Housing did not affect RM scores. Personality type of the pigs, as assessed early in life using a backtest, did not affect WM or RM. In conclusion, housing conditions of pigs did not affect reference memory, but environmental enrichment improved working memory of pigs in a spatial discrimination task. Based on the findings of this study, we suggest that cognitive functioning of pigs may be impaired under commonly used housing conditions.