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

哺乳动物的记忆是一个错综复杂的认知过程，涉及整合不同类型的信息。该研究方案强调了大脑中陈述性记忆(对事实和事件的记忆)的层次性和分布性。大鼠将被用来研究陈述性记忆各个方面的神经生物学基础，包括不同大脑区域处理的不同类型的信息是如何整合形成复杂记忆的。该研究的一个主要兴趣是物体识别记忆的神经基础。这项行为任务将被用来研究陈述性记忆获得、巩固和提取的解剖学、药理学和分子基础。此外，基本物体识别任务的变化将被用来引入越来越高的复杂性水平，以促进在更高阶陈述性记忆服务中的信息整合的研究。需要配备计算机触摸屏的操作盒，以使我们的实验室能够为大鼠开发和运行各种自动化的陈述性记忆任务。这些操作盒是大鼠学习和记忆训练的标准室。电脑控制的LCD触摸屏将安装在这些盒子上，使我们能够向动物呈现数字图像。例如，一个熟悉的和新奇的物体可以呈现在触摸屏上，老鼠将被要求用鼻子戳它识别的物体。用触摸屏自动化这些任务将提高我们测试的效率，并提高老鼠测试程序与我们希望与之比较结果的人类群体之间的相似性。这将有助于我们研究哺乳动物记忆的基本过程，并可能为阿尔茨海默病等人类记忆障碍带来有价值的治疗策略。触摸屏方法用于测试记忆障碍的啮齿动物模型是一种相对新颖的方法，目前加拿大很少有实验室使用这种方法。因此，我们将努力建立我们的实验室，从而使加拿大处于这一令人兴奋的新记忆研究领域的前沿。

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.