Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T15:46:36.705Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Long-term social memory in the laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

OHP Burman  and
M Mendl
OHP Burman*
Affiliation:
Division of Farm Animal Science, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
M Mendl
Affiliation:
Division of Farm Animal Science, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
*
* Contact for correspondence and request for reprints: oliver.burman@bristol.ac.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A key question in the management of group-housed captive animals is how long can an individual be removed from a social group and still be reintroduced with minimal social upheaval. In order to answer this question we require a knowledge of how long cage-mates, following a specified period of group-housing, can remember one another after separation. This issue was investigated in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus). Rats were group-housed for 18 days before being housed individually. One hour, 48 hr, and 96 hr after separation, they were exposed simultaneously to odour cues originating from unfamiliar rats and from former cage-mates. The rats spent significantly more time investigating the unfamiliar odour 1 hr and 48 hr, but not 96 hr, after separation, suggesting that, after 18 days of group-housing, juvenile rats remember former cage-mates for between 48 and 96 hr. The implications of this result for animal welfare are discussed.

Keywords

animal welfarehabituation/discriminationlaboratory ratslong-term memorysocial memorysocial recognition
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , November 2006 , pp. 379 - 382
Copyright
© 2006 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Bluthé, RM and Dantzer, R 1990 Social recognition does not involve vasopressinergic neurotransmission in female rats. Brain Research 535: 301–304CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, RE 1992 Responses of dominant and subordinate male rats to the odors of male and female conspecifics. Aggressive Behavior 18: 129–1383.0.CO;2-U>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burman, OHP and Mendl, M 2000 Short-term social memory in the laboratory rat: its susceptibility to disturbance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 67: 241–254CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burman, OHP and Mendl, M 2002 Recognition of conspecific odours by laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) does not show context specificity. Journal of Comparative Psychology 116(3): 247–252CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burman, OHP and Mendl, M 2004 Disruptive effects of standard husbandry practice on laboratory rat social discrimination. Animal Welfare 13: 125–133CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, WJ, Yee, L, Gable, D and Marasco, E 1976 Olfactory recognition of conspecifics by domestic Norway rats. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 90: 821–828CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dantzer, R, Bluthé, RM, Koob, GF and Le Moal, M 1987 Modulation of social memory in male rats by neurohypophyseal peptides. Psychopharmacology 91: 363–368CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Engelmann, M, Wotjak, CT and Landgraf, R 1995 Social discrimination procedure – an alternative method to investigate juvenile recognition abilities in rats. Physiology and Behavior 58: 315–321CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Epple, G and Niblick, H 1997 Social memory in saddle-back tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis). Folia Primatologica 68: 265–271CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ewbank, R and Meese, GB 1971 Aggressive behaviour in groups of domesticated pigs on removal and return of individuals. Animal Production 13: 685–693Google Scholar
Gheusi, G, Bluthé, RM, Goodall, G and Dantzer, R 1994 Ethological study of the effects of Tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA) on social recognition in rats. Psychopharmacology 114: 644–650CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Held, S, Mendl, M, Devereux, C and Byrne, RW 2001a Behaviour of domestic pigs in a visual perspective taking task. Behaviour 138: 1337–1354Google Scholar
Held, S, Mendl, M, Devereux, C and Byrne, RW 2001b Studies in social cognition: from primates to pigs. Animal Welfare 10: S209–S217CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hlinak, Z and Krejci, I 1991 Social recognition in male rats: age differences and modulation by MIF-I and Alaptide. Physiological Research 40: 59–67Google ScholarPubMed
Johnston, RE 1993 Memory for individual scent in hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) as assessed by habituation methods. Journal of Comparative Psychology 107: 201–207CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnston, RE and Jernigan, P 1994 Golden hamsters recognize individuals, not just individual scents. Animal Behaviour 48: 129–136CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnston, RE and Bullock, TA 2001 Individual recognition by use of odours in golden hamsters: the nature of individual representations. Animal Behaviour 61: 545–557CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laughlin, K and Mendl, M 2000 Pigs shift too: foraging strategies and spatial memory in the domestic pig. Animal Behaviour 60: 403–410CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laughlin, K and Mendl, M 2004 Costs of acquiring and forgetting information affect spatial memory and its susceptibility to interference. Animal Behaviour 68: 97–103CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mateo, JM and Johnston, RE 2000 Retention of social recognition after hibernation in Belding's ground squirrels. Animal Behaviour 59: 491–499CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mendl, M 1999 Performing under pressure: stress and cognitive function. Applied Animal Behaviour 65: 221–244CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendl, M, Burman, O, Laughlin, K and Paul, E 2001 Animal memory and animal welfare. Animal Welfare 10: S141–S159CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicol, CJ 1996 Farm animal cognition. Animal Science 62: 375–391CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sawyer, TF, Hengehold, AK and Perez, WA 1984 Chemosensory and hormonal mediation of social memory in male rats. Behavioural Neurosciences 98: 908–913CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sekiguchi, R, Wolterink, G and van Ree, JM 1991 Short duration of retroactive facilitation of social recognition in rats. Physiology and Behavior 50: 1253–1256CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, G, Farr, S, Griffin, M, Humphrey, W and Weiss, J 1999 Adult ontogeny of rat working memory of social interactions. Journal of Gerontology 54A: M145-M151Google Scholar
Thor, DH and Holloway, WR 1982 Social memory of the male laboratory rat. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 96: 1000–1006CrossRefGoogle Scholar