METHOD FOR ASSESSING COGNITIVE ABILITIES OF RATS IN GRIGORIEV'S PROBLEM CHAMBER Russian patent published in 2016 - IPC A61B5/16 G09B23/28 

FIELD: pharmaceutics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to physiology and pharmacology of behavior, namely experimental research of higher cerebral functions, namely cognitive abilities of animals, as well as in psychopharmacology for testing of cognition preparations, which improve mental capacities. Assessment of cognitive abilities of rats is carried out in Grigoriev's problem chamber consisting of six testing cycles - 6 placings of rat in chamber, until all 6 outputs are found without errors or with errors. Wherein right faultless paces are always estimated as 100 %, regardless of search cycle number, and erroneous paces in second search cycle are estimated as 16.6 %, in third - 33.3 %, in fourth cycle - 50 %, in fifth - 66.6 %, in sixth last cycle - 83.3 %, taking into account reduced number of unlocked exits from chamber. Rat's cognitive abilities are calculated by summing in % results of regular paces and irregular paces. Wherein at allowance of irregular paces corresponding percentage is multiplied by number of irregular paces and then sum is divided into number of all paces. Wherein result below 50 % shows reflex behavior, higher than 50 %, but not reaching 100 % shows tendency to learning and getting experience, 100 % level indicates high level of cognitive abilities in tested rat. Method enables high-reliability assessment of cognitive ability of rats in Grigoriev's PC due to probability of random selection is variable from beginning and till end of testing. This is that border, from which error cost starts increasing up to 66.6 % at fifth cycle and to 83.3 % at sixth one, where need for cognitive abilities is maximum increased. Testing at complete block of all doors is prohibited, for there is no selection and no possibility of solving problem. Therefore, 7-th cycle, when all doors are blocked, does not exist. Tested animals in such desperate situation obtain and develop behavioral depression and state of “learned helplessness (tutored helplessness)” comes followed then by death (7). According to our publications, only 10-12 % of tested rats have high individual level of cognitive abilities. They in particular can be assigned to status of "intellectually gifted" animals, others lack it. It is possible due to small numbers of this group of animals, that problem of presence or absence of cognitive abilities is discussive up to present time. Cognitive abilities are most important in higher nervous activity, they are memory, attention, planning and forecasting, problem solving and targeted activity. Creation and testing of cognotrophic drugs is one of actual tasks in psychopharmacology and psychiatry.

EFFECT: use of this method can become significant and valid test in experimental investigations when searching for cognotrophic drugs.

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