Computerized touchscreen-equipped operant chambers for testing declarative memory in rats

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Mammalian memory is an intricate and complex cognitive process involving the integration of disparate types of information. The research proposal emphasizes the hierarchical and distributed nature of declarative memory (memory for facts and events) in the brain. Rats will be used to study the neurobiological underpinnings of various aspects of declarative memory, including how different types of information processed in different brain regions are integrated to form complex memories. A primary interest of the proposed research is the neural basis of object recognition memory. This behavioural task will be used to study the anatomical, pharmacological, and molecular bases of declarative memory acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval. Moreover, variations on the basic object recognition task will be used to introduce increasing levels of complexity to facilitate the study of information integration in the service of higher-order declarative memories. Computerized touchscreen-equipped operant boxes are requested to enable our laboratory to develop and run a variety of automated declarative memory tasks for rats. These operant boxes are standard chambers for learning and memory training in rats. Computer-controlled LCD touchscreens will be attached to these boxes to enable us to present digital images to the animals. For example, a familiar and a novel object can be presented on the touchscreen, and the rat will be required to 'nosepoke' the object that it recognizes. Automating these tasks with touchscreens will increase the efficiency of our testing and the similarity between the rat testing procedures and those used for human populations to which we wish to compare our results. This will facilitate our study of the basic processes of mammalian memory and could lead to valuable therapeutic strategies for human memory disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The touchscreen methodology for testing rodent models of memory impairment is a relatively novel approach, and very few labs in Canada currently use it. We will therefore strive to establish our lab, and thus Canada, at the forefront of this exciting new area of memory research.