METHOD OF ASSESSING COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AND MEMORY IMPAIRMENT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS Russian patent published in 2023 - IPC A61B5/16 A61B5/11 G09B23/28 

FIELD: biotechnology; medicine.

SUBSTANCE: study is carried out for 5 days in at least 12 rats. The number of food intakes is determined for 5 daily runs on each of the 5 days of the study. When the number of food intakes is 5 in one day of the study, the value of the cognitive task performance indicator is 1. When the number of food intakes is less than 5 in one day of the study, the value of the cognitive task performance indicator is 0. The cognitive index is determined for 5 days of the study by summing up the values of the cognitive task performance indicator for each day. If the cognitive index for 5 days of the study is 4–5, then the cognitive functions of the animal under study are considered to correspond to the physiological norm. Memory impairment is assessed when the cognitive index is less than 4–5. Short-term memory impairment is determined if a decrease in the number of food intakes occurs on days 1 and 2 of the study. Impairment of long-term memory is determined if a decrease in the number of food intakes occurs from the 2nd to the 5th days of the study.

EFFECT: method makes it possible to assess cognitive functions and optimize the process of experimental testing of animals by differentiating indicators that characterize exclusively the cognitive parameters of animals from their motor-oriented behavior and calculating a cognitive index for a comparative assessment of the degree of cognitive impairment.

3 cl, 2 dwg, 5 tbl, 1 ex