Thanks to their capacity for introspection, human beings are able to estimate the duration of their actions. When they perform a task – especially a time-based task – they can evaluate their performance and correct themselves in order to do better next time. This ability is not exclusive to the human species: new research has just demonstrated for the first time that the rat can also do so!
Scientists developed a behavioral task in which rats were taught to press a lever for at least 3.2 seconds. In a second phase, two feeders distributed a reward according to the animal's performance: if it completed the task with a small error, just above 3.2 seconds, it received food in the left feeder, and in case of a larger deviation, in the right feeder1. The rats thus learned that the location of the reward depended on their accuracy.
In a third stage, the rodents were given a choice of both feeders, but the reward was only distributed after they chose one feeder. The result was that the rats chose the correct side, i.e. the one corresponding to their temporal error – “precise” for the left-hand feeder or “not precise” for the right-hand one – and, confident in finding food there, they did this all the more quickly.
The research team explains this behavior by the animals’ past experience (track record of rewards obtained), but also by the rats’ analysis of their performance: during each trial, the rodents evaluated the precision with which they had carried out the task requested and were able to engage in “error monitoring”.
Demonstrating this ability in rats opens doors to new kinds of animal research to better understand these behaviours in humans. How does the brain assess temporal errors? This fundamental question in neuroscience underlies the learning process. Future research will be able to deepen fundamental knowledge on the mechanisms and brain structures involved in our internal representation of time.
https://www.cnrs.fr/en/rats-can-estimate-their-timing-accuracy
Rats can estimate their timing accuracy
- 893 views
- Added
Latest News
Protein that helps COVID-19…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SM…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Link between bowel movement…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Inhibition of IL-11 signall…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Jul
Brain changes linked to obe…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Jul
Other Top Stories
Alternate splicing sequence determinants identified!
Read more
MicroRNAs regulating cholesterol and triglyceride homeostasis ident…
Read more
RNA Controls Poly-glutamine Protein Phase Transitions
Read more
Nuclear membrane repairs the 'dark matter' of DNA
Read more
Transmembrane protein sorting driven by membrane curvature
Read more
Protocols
A systems biology approach…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Jul
quantms: a cloud-based pipe…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Jul
Emerging tools and best pra…
By newseditor
Posted 19 Jul
Directly selecting cell-typ…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Jul
PUFFFIN: an ultra-bright, c…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Jul
Publications
Hepatocyte-intrinsic SMN de…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Aberrant bowel movement fre…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
A pseudoautosomal glycosyla…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Microglia protect against a…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Rigor and reproducibility i…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Jul
Presentations
Myelin plasticity in the ve…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Jun
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar