Evoluzione epistemologica e metodologica nellanalisi di fenomeni cognitivi

“Evoluzione epistemologica e metodologica nell’analisi di fenomeni cognitivi nel Regno animale” Enrico Alleva e Simone Macrì Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy. Laboratorio di Neuroetica e cognizione sociale Roma, 18 -12 -2015

Charles Darwin 1809 -1882

Contribution to comparative psychology: methodology Questionnaire administered to collaborators aimed at evaluating the expression of emotions across different races.

Contribution to comparative psychology: methodology […] Dr. J. Crichton Browne has also often noticed in melancholic patients who keep their eyebrows persistently oblique, "a peculiar acute arching of the upper eyelid. " A trace of this may be observed by comparing the right and left eyelids of the young man in the photograph (fig. 2, Plate II. ); […] But the most conspicuous result of the opposed contraction of the abovenamed muscles, is exhibited by the peculiar furrows formed on the forehead. […] http: //darwin-online. org. uk

Contribution to comparative psychology: methodology Fig. 9. Cat, savage and prepared to fight. Fig. 15. Cat terrified at a dog. http: //darwin-online. org. uk Fig. 10. Cat in an affectionate frame of mind.

Jane Goodall (1934 -)

Donald R. Griffin (1915 -2003)

Aldo Fasolo (1943 -2014)

Ethical considerations P. Bateson, When to experiment on animals. New Scientist, 109 (1986), pp. 30– 32

Keeping in mind Patrick Bateson’s cardinal view of neurobehavioral development in mammals as a process akin to the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly Bateson, P. (1981) Ontogeny of behaviour. Br Med Bull 37, 159 -164

Morris Water Maze

Barnes Maze

How do we measure pain in laboratory animals? The hot-plate test

How do we measure pain in laboratory animals? RESPONSES NOCICEPTIVE Forepaw licking Standing on hindlimbs and licking forepaws in a washing action Hindpaw licking Head tilted towards hindpaw with ventral surface angled upwards Testicle licking Self explained, rare EXPLORATORY/ESCAPE RESPONSES Wall rearing Standing on hindlimbs and touching the wall of the apparatus with the forepaws Rearing Standing on hindlimbs Jumping from the hot-plate surface From: F. Cirulli, L. De Acetis, E. Alleva (2000)

Latency (s) How do we measure pain in laboratory animals? ** *p<0. 05; **p<0. 01 From: F. Cirulli, L. De Acetis, E. Alleva (2000) * 52°C 55°C - Not isolated (5/cage) Isolated

How do we measure pain in laboratory animals? Luminous heat source Apparatus used for the tail-flick test The tail-flick test

How do we measure pain in laboratory animals? The formalin test

How do we measure pain in laboratory animals? Vacca et al. , Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Volume 26, Issue 3, 2012, 489 - 499

How do we measure pain in laboratory animals? Macrì et al. , Neurotoxicity Research, Volume 24, 2013, 15 - 28

How do we measure pain in laboratory animals? Aghajani et al. , PLo. S ONE, 8(11): e 80650.

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Empathy: The ability to understand share the feelings of another D J Langford et al. Science 2006; 312: 1967 -1970

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals D J Langford et al. Science 2006; 312: 1967 -1970

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals D J Langford et al. Science 2006; 312: 1967 -1970

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals D J Langford et al. Science 2006; 312: 1967 -1970

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals D J Langford et al. Science 2006; 312: 1967 -1970

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Formalin injection

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Formalin injection

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Formalin injection

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Formalin injection

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Role of stressors in mediating empathy response Mice under variable stressful conditions Unfamiliar dyads (students) Martin et al. , 2015, Current Biology 25, 326– 332 Unfamiliar dyads (after videogame playing)

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals • • Depressed state; pessimism Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness Loss of interest in daily activities Appetite or weight changes Sleep changes Anger or irritability Loss of energy Reckless behavior.

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals • • Depressed state; pessimism Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness Loss of interest in daily activities Appetite or weight changes Sleep changes Anger or irritability Loss of energy Reckless behavior.

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Pessimism (cognitive bias? ) “… people in a negative state are more likely to make negative judgements about future events or ambiguous stimuli (‘pessimism’) than people in positive states who show more optimistic judgements and interpretations…” (Mendl et al. , 2009)

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Pessimism (cognitive bias? )

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Pessimism (cognitive bias? )

Pain and distress in laboratory animals and the study of empathy and optimism in animals Pessimism (cognitive bias? ) Harding and Mendl, Nature, 2004