Abstract
Spontaneous recognition of a novel object is a popular measure of exploratory behavior, perception and recognition memory in rodent models. Because of its relative simplicity and speed of testing, the variety of stimuli that can be used, and its ecological validity across species, it is also an attractive task for comparative research. To date, variants of this test have been used with vertebrate and invertebrate species, but the methods have seldom been sufficiently standardized to allow cross-species comparison. Here, we review the methods necessary for the study of novel object recognition in mammalian and non-mammalian models, as well as the results of these experiments. Critical to the use of this test is an understanding of the organism’s initial response to a novel object, the modulation of exploration by context, and species differences in object perception and exploratory behaviors. We argue that with appropriate consideration of species differences in perception, object affordances, and natural exploratory behaviors, the spontaneous object recognition test can be a valid and versatile tool for translational research with non-mammalian models.
Highlights
The study of object exploration is partially derived from two historical lines of research
A consistent theme does emerge; the animal’s response to the novel object in a test resembles its initial behavior toward the sample object in the exposure phase, suggesting that further study on the mechanisms of habituation and perception in these animals will be useful for studying recognition memory as well
The ITI is short, but this will require validation across individual species. These procedural variables significantly affect object recognition performance, as highlighted in a recent report showing that spaced training rescues memory and extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) signaling in fragile X syndrome model mice (Seese et al, 2014)
Summary
Spontaneous object recognition birds, which differ both in cognitive (e.g., spatial memory) and neurophysiological (e.g., hippocampal volume) domains (e.g., Basil et al, 1996). In these cases, the comparative model is typically selected on the basis of a highly specialized trait, such as song-learning in zebra finches, food-caching in corvids, or pair-bonding in voles. The primary advantage of the comparative method is that the behavior of healthy, intact animals can be observed in all conditions. A major disadvantage is that the method is correlational, but it still makes a useful complement to other experimental techniques
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