Selection of Laboratory Mice for the Cognitive Task Successful Solution and for the Inability to Solve It

Dokl Biochem Biophys. 2021 Jul;499(1):207-210. doi: 10.1134/S1607672921040116. Epub 2021 Aug 23.

Abstract

Using the selected mouse strain EX as the founding population (selection for extrapolation ability) three selection generations of mice were obtained, which were selected for successful solution of object permanence test (plus-sub-strain) and for lack of such solution (minus-sub-strain). The successful solution required not only the ability to operate the object permanence rule (by J. Piajet), but the performance of complicated action (executive function) which was significantly higher in plus-substrain, and this is the unique example of successful selection for cognitive trait.

Keywords: elementary logic task; laboratory mice; object permanence rule; puzzle-box; selection experiment.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal*
  • Cognition
  • Laboratories*
  • Mice
  • Phenotype