Bubble templates in rats

381 views · Published 19 December 2011 · 3:44 · Indexed 10 November 2026

Channel: Cell Press · 2011 · Science & Technology

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While rodents are the first-choice animal model in the life sciences, they are rarely used as a model for higher visual functions. Here we report the performance of rats in a visual discrimination task applying the multivariate 'Bubbles' paradigm previously used in highly visual species such as humans, monkeys, and pigeons. We demonstrate a relationship between discrimination accuracy and local occlusion of stimuli by bubbles, as such revealing the strategies or 'templates' that underlie visual discrimination behaviour. These findings demonstrate the complexity of visual strategies followed by rats and reveal interesting similarities (e.g., potential for position tolerance) as well as differences (overall efficiency of  visual processing) compared to primates.

Check out the paper at http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(11)01323-6.

And read more great research at http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home.

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