Are mice clever enough to be strategic?
Kishore Kuchibhotla, a Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist who studies learning in humans and animals, and who has long worked with mice, wondered why rodents often performed poorly in tests when they knew how to perform well. With a simple experiment, and by acting as "a little bit of a mouse psychologist," he and his team figured it out.
To figure it out Kuchibhotla and Ziyi Zhu, a graduate student studying neuroscience, came up with a new experiment. "We find that when the animal is exploring, they engage in a really simple strategy, which is, 'I'm going to go left for a while, figure things out, and then I'm going to switch and go right for a while,'" Kuchibhotla said. "Mice are more strategic than some might believe."
If the animal didn't have an internal model of the task, there would be no expectations to violate and the mice would keep performing poorly.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Synchronized vasomotion enhances brain function in miceCompared with computers, the brain can perform computations with a very low net energy supply. Yet our understanding surrounding how the biological brain manages energy is still incomplete.
Read more »
With hybrid brains, these mice smell like a ratIf mice ever wonder what it's like to experience the world as a rat, some are now able to live that dream, at least when it comes to the sense of smell.
Read more »
DNA vaccine against Zika performs well in tests on miceIn Brazil, researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Pernambuco division of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) are developing a Zika vaccine. The formulation was tested on mice and found to be efficacious, inducing an immune response against the virus and protecting the animals appropriately.
Read more »
New gene therapy for metachromatic leukodystrophy proves effective in miceMetachromatic leukodystrophy is a rare genetic disorder that mainly affects young children and results in severe neurological symptoms accompanied by a loss of motor and intellectual capacities.
Read more »
Young mouse plasma found to reverse aging in older miceResearchers demonstrate that small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from young mice plasma can reverse aging effects in older mice by enhancing mitochondrial function and energy metabolism.
Read more »
Horror as young girl finds mice 'covered in glue' and wriggling in sick trapThe RSPCA has issued an urgent warning, saying a new law has been delayed
Read more »