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We made our first rodent car from a plastic cereal container. After trial and error, my colleagues and I discovered that rats could learn to move by holding a small string that acted like a gas pedal. Soon, they were moving with surprising accuracy to reach the Froot Loops treat.
As expected, rats housed in an enriched environment complete with toys, space, and companions learned to drive faster than rats housed in standard cages. This discovery supported the idea Complex environments enhance neuroplasticity: the brain's ability to change across the lifespan in response to environmental demands.
When we published our research, the story of getting rid of rats went viral in the mediaThis project continues in my lab with new, improved rat-operated vehicles, or ROVs, designed by a robotics professor John McManus And his students. Featuring rat-proof wiring, indestructible tires and an ergonomic driving lever, these advanced electric ROVs are akin to a rodent version of Tesla's Cybertruck.
As a neuroscientist one who advocates As for housing and testing laboratory animals in natural habitats, I found it amusing to see how far we strayed from our laboratory practices with this project. Rats generally prefer dirt, sticks, and stones rather than plastic items. Now, we had them driving the car.
But humans did not evolve even to drive. Although our ancient ancestors did not have cars, he had a flexible mind This helped them acquire new skills—fire, language, stone tools, and agriculture. And sometime after the invention of the wheel, humans created cars.
Although cars built for rats are a far cry from anything they would encounter in the wild, we believe driving is an interesting way to study how rodents acquire new skills. Unexpectedly, we found that the rats had intense motivation for their driving training, often jumping into the car and turning the “lever engine” before their vehicle hit the road. Why was it so?
Anand's new destination
Concepts from introductory psychology textbooks take on a new, practical dimension in our rodent driving lab. building on foundational teaching approaches such as operant conditioningThrough strategic incentives that reinforce target behavior, we trained rats step-by-step in their driver education programs.
Initially, he learned basic activities, such as getting into a car and pressing levers. But with practice, these simple actions evolved into more complex behaviors, like driving the car toward a specific destination.