title: A cage-based training, cognitive testing and enrichment system optimized for rhesus macaques in neuroscience research.
abstract: In neurophysiological studies with awake non-human primates (NHP), it is typically necessary to train the animals over a prolonged period of time on a behavioral paradigm before the actual data collection takes place. Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) are the most widely used primate animal models in system neuroscience. Inspired by existing joystick- or touch-screen-based systems designed for a variety of monkey species, we built and successfully employed a stand-alone cage-based training and testing system for rhesus monkeys (eXperimental Behavioral Intrument, XBI). The XBI is mobile and easy to handle by both experts and non-experts; animals can work with only minimal physical restraints, yet the ergonomic design successfully encourages stereotypical postures with a consistent positioning of the head relative to the screen. The XBI allows computer-controlled training of the monkeys with a large variety of behavioral tasks and reward protocols typically used in systems and cognitive neuroscience research.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calapai
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Goettingen, Germany. mniessing@dpz.eu.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Niessing
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heisig
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brockhausen
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.|Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Goettingen, Germany.|Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Goettingen University, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Treue
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.|Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Goettingen, Germany.|Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Goettingen University, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gail
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035841:Behavioral Research / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003071:Cognition; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D013663:Teaching
keywords: Animal housing; Animal welfare; Automated testing; Behavioral management; Cognitive neuroscience; Environmental enrichment; Non-human primates