Navigation in a Space With Moving Objects: Rats Can Avoid Specific Locations Defined With Respect to a Moving Robot
Animals can organize their behavior with respect to other moving animals or objects; when hunting or escaping a predator, when migrating in groups or during various social interactions. In rats, we aimed to characterize spatial behaviors relative to moving objects and to explore the cognitive mechan...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.576350/full |
| _version_ | 1818555553050263552 |
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| author | Nikhil Ahuja Nikhil Ahuja Veronika Lobellová Aleš Stuchlík Eduard Kelemen |
| author_facet | Nikhil Ahuja Nikhil Ahuja Veronika Lobellová Aleš Stuchlík Eduard Kelemen |
| author_sort | Nikhil Ahuja |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Animals can organize their behavior with respect to other moving animals or objects; when hunting or escaping a predator, when migrating in groups or during various social interactions. In rats, we aimed to characterize spatial behaviors relative to moving objects and to explore the cognitive mechanisms controlling these behaviors. Three groups of animals were trained to avoid a mild foot-shock delivered in one of three positions: either in front, on the left side, or on the right side of a moving robot. We showed the rats can recognize and avoid these specific areas. The avoidance behavior specific for the left or right side of the robot demonstrated animals not only react to “simple” stimuli such as increasing noise level or growing retinal image of an approaching object, but they process their spatial position relative to the object. Using an all-white robot without prominent visual patterns that would distinguish its different sides, we showed that the behavior does not depend on responses to prominent visual patterns, but that the rats can guide their navigation according to geometrical spatial relationship relative to the moving object. Rats’ competence for navigation in space defined by a moving object resembles navigation abilities in stationary space. Recording of hippocampal single unit activity during rat’s interaction with the robot proved feasibility of the task to uncover neuronal mechanism of this type of navigation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:54:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8cf5b02a42024d8ca6ddf4d02b39d75f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:54:57Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-8cf5b02a42024d8ca6ddf4d02b39d75f2022-12-22T00:28:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532020-11-011410.3389/fnbeh.2020.576350576350Navigation in a Space With Moving Objects: Rats Can Avoid Specific Locations Defined With Respect to a Moving RobotNikhil Ahuja0Nikhil Ahuja1Veronika Lobellová2Aleš Stuchlík3Eduard Kelemen4Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, CzechiaFaculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, CzechiaInstitute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, CzechiaInstitute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, CzechiaNational Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, CzechiaAnimals can organize their behavior with respect to other moving animals or objects; when hunting or escaping a predator, when migrating in groups or during various social interactions. In rats, we aimed to characterize spatial behaviors relative to moving objects and to explore the cognitive mechanisms controlling these behaviors. Three groups of animals were trained to avoid a mild foot-shock delivered in one of three positions: either in front, on the left side, or on the right side of a moving robot. We showed the rats can recognize and avoid these specific areas. The avoidance behavior specific for the left or right side of the robot demonstrated animals not only react to “simple” stimuli such as increasing noise level or growing retinal image of an approaching object, but they process their spatial position relative to the object. Using an all-white robot without prominent visual patterns that would distinguish its different sides, we showed that the behavior does not depend on responses to prominent visual patterns, but that the rats can guide their navigation according to geometrical spatial relationship relative to the moving object. Rats’ competence for navigation in space defined by a moving object resembles navigation abilities in stationary space. Recording of hippocampal single unit activity during rat’s interaction with the robot proved feasibility of the task to uncover neuronal mechanism of this type of navigation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.576350/fullnavigationdynamic environmentmoving objectrobothippocampusplace cells |
| spellingShingle | Nikhil Ahuja Nikhil Ahuja Veronika Lobellová Aleš Stuchlík Eduard Kelemen Navigation in a Space With Moving Objects: Rats Can Avoid Specific Locations Defined With Respect to a Moving Robot Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience navigation dynamic environment moving object robot hippocampus place cells |
| title | Navigation in a Space With Moving Objects: Rats Can Avoid Specific Locations Defined With Respect to a Moving Robot |
| title_full | Navigation in a Space With Moving Objects: Rats Can Avoid Specific Locations Defined With Respect to a Moving Robot |
| title_fullStr | Navigation in a Space With Moving Objects: Rats Can Avoid Specific Locations Defined With Respect to a Moving Robot |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigation in a Space With Moving Objects: Rats Can Avoid Specific Locations Defined With Respect to a Moving Robot |
| title_short | Navigation in a Space With Moving Objects: Rats Can Avoid Specific Locations Defined With Respect to a Moving Robot |
| title_sort | navigation in a space with moving objects rats can avoid specific locations defined with respect to a moving robot |
| topic | navigation dynamic environment moving object robot hippocampus place cells |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.576350/full |
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