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Rats have mastered the art of driving a tiny car, suggesting their brains are more flexible than we thought. The finding could be used to understand how learning new skills relieves stress and how neurological and psychiatric conditions affect mental capabilities.
We know that rodents can learn to recognise objects, press bars and find their way around mazes. These tests are often used to study how brain conditions affect cognitive function, but they only capture a narrow window of animal cognition, says Kelly Lambert at the University of Richmond.
Lambert and her colleagues wondered if rats could learn the more sophisticated task of operating a moving vehicle.
Scientists have trained rats to drive tiny cars to collect food
Rats can learn to drive tiny cars around an arena in exchange for a food reward. Their hormone levels suggest they seem to find going for a drive relaxing
www.newscientist.com
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