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Brunet V, Lafond T, Kleiber A, Lansade L, Calandreau L, Colson V. Environmental enrichment improves cognitive flexibility in rainbow trout in a visual discrimination task: first insights. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1184296. [PMID: 37396987 PMCID: PMC10313407 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1184296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Research on fish cognition provides strong evidence that fish are endowed with high level cognitive skills. However, most studies on cognitive flexibility and generalization abilities, two key adaptive traits for captive animals, focused on model species, and farmed fish received too little attention. Environmental enrichment was shown to improve learning abilities in various fish species, but its influence on cognitive flexibility and generalization abilities is still unknown. We studied farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as an aquaculture model to study how environmental enrichment impacts their cognitive abilities. Using an operant conditioning device, allowing the expression of a motivated choice, we measured fish cognitive flexibility with serial reversal learning tests, after a successful acquisition phase based on two colors discrimination (2-alternative forced choice, 2-AFC), and their ability to generalize a rewarded color to any shape. Eight fish were divided into two groups: Condition E (fish reared from fry stages under enriched conditions with plants, rocks and pipes for ~9 months); Condition B (standard barren conditions). Only one fish (condition E) failed in the habituation phase of the device and one fish (condition B) failed in the 2-AFC task. We showed that after a successful acquisition phase in which the fish correctly discriminated two colors, they all succeeded in four reversal learnings, supporting evidence for cognitive flexibility in rainbow trout. They were all successful in the generalization task. Interestingly, fish reared in an enriched environment performed better in the acquisition phase and in the reversal learning (as evidenced by fewer trials needed to reach the learning criterion), but not in the generalization task. We assume that color-based generalization may be a simpler cognitive process than discriminative learning and cognitive flexibility, and does not seem to be influenced by environmental conditions. Given the small number of individuals tested, our results may be considered as first insights into cognitive flexibility in farmed fish using an operant conditioning device, but they pave the way for future studies. We conclude that farming conditions should take into account the cognitive abilities of fish, in particular their cognitive flexibility, by allowing them to live in an enriched environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Brunet
- Laboratoire de Physiologie et Génomique des Poissons, INRAE, Rennes, France
| | - Thomas Lafond
- Laboratoire de Physiologie et Génomique des Poissons, INRAE, Rennes, France
| | - Aude Kleiber
- Laboratoire de Physiologie et Génomique des Poissons, INRAE, Rennes, France
- Comportement Animal et Systèmes d’Elevage, JUNIA, Lille, France
| | - Léa Lansade
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France
| | - Ludovic Calandreau
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France
| | - Violaine Colson
- Laboratoire de Physiologie et Génomique des Poissons, INRAE, Rennes, France
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Jones NAR, Webster MM, Salvanes AGV. Physical enrichment research for captive fish: Time to focus on the DETAILS. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2021; 99:704-725. [PMID: 33942889 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Growing research effort has shown that physical enrichment (PE) can improve fish welfare and research validity. However, the inclusion of PE does not always result in positive effects and conflicting findings have highlighted the many nuances involved. Effects are known to depend on species and life stage tested, but effects may also vary with differences in the specific items used as enrichment between and within studies. Reporting fine-scale characteristics of items used as enrichment in studies may help to reveal these factors. We conducted a survey of PE-focused studies published in the last 5 years to examine the current state of methodological reporting. The survey results suggest that some aspects of enrichment are not adequately detailed. For example, the amount and dimensions of objects used as enrichment were frequently omitted. Similarly, the ecological relevance, or other justification, for enrichment items was frequently not made explicit. Focusing on ecologically relevant aspects of PE and increasing the level of detail reported in studies may benefit future work and we propose a framework with the acronym DETAILS (Dimensions, Ecological rationale, Timing of enrichment, Amount, Inputs, Lighting and Social environment). We outline the potential importance of each of the elements of this framework with the hope it may aid in the level of reporting and standardization across studies, ultimately aiding the search for more beneficial types of PE and the development of our understanding and ability to improve the welfare of captive fish and promote more biologically relevant behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick A R Jones
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Mike M Webster
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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Rossi GS, Wright PA. Does leaving water make fish smarter? Terrestrial exposure and exercise improve spatial learning in an amphibious fish. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210603. [PMID: 34130503 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphibious fishes transition between aquatic and terrestrial habitats, and must therefore learn to navigate two dramatically different environments. We used the amphibious killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus to test the hypothesis that the spatial learning ability of amphibious fishes would be altered by exposure to terrestrial environments because of neural plasticity in the brain region linked to spatial cognition (dorsolateral pallium). We subjected fish to eight weeks of fluctuating air-water conditions or terrestrial exercise before assessing spatial learning using a bifurcating T-maze, and neurogenesis in the dorsolateral pallium by immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen. In support of our hypothesis, we found that air-water fluctuations and terrestrial exercise improved some markers of spatial learning. Moreover, air-water and exercised fish had 39% and 46% more proliferating cells in their dorsolateral pallium relative to control fish, respectively. Overall, our findings suggest that fish with more terrestrial tendencies may have a cognitive advantage over those that remain in water, which ultimately may influence their fitness in both aquatic and terrestrial settings. More broadly, understanding the factors that promote neural and behavioural plasticity in extant amphibious fishes may provide insights into how ancestral fishes successfully colonized novel terrestrial environments before giving rise to land-dwelling tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia S Rossi
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Patricia A Wright
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
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Pereira PDC, Henrique EP, Porfírio DM, Crispim CCDS, Campos MTB, de Oliveira RM, Silva IMS, Guerreiro LCF, da Silva TWP, da Silva ADJF, Rosa JBDS, de Azevedo DLF, Lima CGC, Castro de Abreu C, Filho CS, Diniz DLWP, Magalhães NGDM, Guerreiro-Diniz C, Diniz CWP, Diniz DG. Environmental Enrichment Improved Learning and Memory, Increased Telencephalic Cell Proliferation, and Induced Differential Gene Expression in Colossoma macropomum. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:840. [PMID: 32595498 PMCID: PMC7303308 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Fish use spatial cognition based on allocentric cues to navigate, but little is known about how environmental enrichment (EE) affects learning and memory in correlation with hematological changes or gene expression in the fish brain. Here we investigated these questions in Colossoma macropomum (Teleostei). Fish were housed for 192 days in either EE or in an impoverished environment (IE) aquarium. EE contained toys, natural plants, and a 12-h/day water stream for voluntary exercise, whereas IE had no toys, plants, or water stream. A third plus maze aquarium was used for spatial and object recognition tests. Compared with IE, the EE fish showed greater learning rates, body length, and body weight. After behavioral tests, whole brain tissue was taken, stored in RNA-later, and then homogenized for DNA sequencing after conversion of isolated RNA. To compare read mapping and gene expression profiles across libraries for neurotranscriptome differential expression, we mapped back RNA-seq reads to the C. macropomum de novo assembled transcriptome. The results showed significant differential behavior, cell counts and gene expression in EE and IE individuals. As compared with IE, we found a greater number of cells in the telencephalon of individuals maintained in EE but no significant difference in the tectum opticum, suggesting differential plasticity in these areas. A total of 107,669 transcripts were found that ultimately yielded 64 differentially expressed transcripts between IE and EE brains. Another group of adult fish growing in aquaculture conditions were either subjected to exercise using running water flow or maintained sedentary. Flow cytometry analysis of peripheral blood showed a significantly higher density of lymphocytes, and platelets but no significant differences in erythrocytes and granulocytes. Thus, under the influence of contrasting environments, our findings showed differential changes at the behavioral, cellular, and molecular levels. We propose that the differential expression of selected transcripts, number of telencephalic cell counts, learning and memory performance, and selective hematological cell changes may be part of Teleostei adaptive physiological responses triggered by EE visuospatial and somatomotor stimulation. Our findings suggest abundant differential gene expression changes depending on environment and provide a basis for exploring gene regulation mechanisms under EE in C. macropomum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Douglas Corrêa Pereira
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Neuroecologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Bragança, Brazil
| | - Ediely Pereira Henrique
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Neuroecologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Bragança, Brazil
| | - Danillo Monteiro Porfírio
- Laboratório de Investigação em Neurodegeneração e Infecção, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | | | - Maitê Thaís Barros Campos
- Laboratório de Investigação em Neurodegeneração e Infecção, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Renata Melo de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Investigação em Neurodegeneração e Infecção, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Isabella Mesquita Sfair Silva
- Laboratório de Investigação em Neurodegeneração e Infecção, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Luma Cristina Ferreira Guerreiro
- Laboratório de Investigação em Neurodegeneração e Infecção, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Tiago Werley Pires da Silva
- Laboratório de Investigação em Neurodegeneração e Infecção, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | | | - João Batista da Silva Rosa
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Neuroecologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Bragança, Brazil
| | | | - Cecília Gabriella Coutinho Lima
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Neuroecologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Bragança, Brazil
| | - Cintya Castro de Abreu
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Neuroecologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Bragança, Brazil
| | - Carlos Santos Filho
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Neuroecologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Bragança, Brazil
| | | | - Nara Gyzely de Morais Magalhães
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Neuroecologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Bragança, Brazil
| | - Cristovam Guerreiro-Diniz
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Neuroecologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, Bragança, Brazil
| | - Cristovam Wanderley Picanço Diniz
- Laboratório de Investigação em Neurodegeneração e Infecção, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Daniel Guerreiro Diniz
- Laboratório de Investigação em Neurodegeneração e Infecção, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
- Laboratório de Microscopia Eletrônica, Instituto Evandro Chagas, Belém, Brazil
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Yin SW, Wang Y, Meng YL, Liu CX. Effects of mild intrauterine hypoperfusion in the second trimester on memory and learning function in rat offspring. Neural Regen Res 2020; 15:2082-2088. [PMID: 32394966 PMCID: PMC7716030 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.282268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mild intrauterine hypoperfusion (MIUH) is a serious pathological event that affects the growth and development of fetuses and offspring. MIUH can lead to growth restriction, low birth weight, neurodevelopmental disorders, and other adverse clinical outcomes. To study the effects of MIUH on learning and memory function in offspring, a model of MIUH was established by placing a coil (length 2.5 mm, diameter 0.24 mm) on the uterine artery and ovarian uterine artery of Sprague-Dawley rats in the second trimester of pregnancy (day 17). Next, 120 mg/kg lithium chloride (the MIUH + Li group) or normal saline (the MIUH group) was injected intraperitoneally into these rats. In addition, 120 mg/kg lithium chloride (the Li group) or normal saline (the SHAM group) was injected intraperitoneally into pregnant rats without coil placement. The Morris water maze was used to detect changes in learning and memory ability in the offspring at 4 weeks after birth. In the MIUH group, the escape latency and journey length before reaching the platform were both increased, and the number of times that the platform was crossed and the activity time in the target quadrant within 90 seconds were both decreased compared with the SHAM group. Immunofluorescence double staining and western blot assays demonstrated that hippocampal nestin and Ki67 (both cell-proliferation-related proteins) expression was significantly downregulated in the MIUH group compared with the SHAM group. Furthermore, western blot assays were conducted to investigate changes in related signaling pathway proteins in the brains of offspring rats, and revealed that glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) expression was upregulated and β-catenin expression was downregulated in the MIUH group compared with the SHAM group. In addition, compared with the MIUH group, the expression levels of p-GSK3β and β-catenin were upregulated in the MIUH + Li group. These results suggest that MIUH may affect learning and memory function in rat offspring by regulating the GSK3β signaling pathway. The experimental procedures were approved by Animal Ethics Committee of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University (approval No. 2018PS07K) in June 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shao-Wei Yin
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University; Key Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine of Liaoning Province, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yi-Lin Meng
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University; Key Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine of Liaoning Province, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Cai-Xia Liu
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University; Key Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine of Liaoning Province, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
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