The experiment allowed scientists to test the effect that anticipation of a fun task has on the animals’ brains.
Scientists at the University of Richmond have created a kind of “car” for laboratory mice — and they enjoyed motorized riding so much that the focus of the study even changed, analyzing how rodents deal with anticipation and excitement for the task, revealing a lot about the animals’ behavior and well-being.
But the discoveries came early on: As expected, rats with stimulus-rich environments like toys, space, and companionship learned to drive faster than those confined in common cages.
This shows that complex environments improve neuroplasticitythat is, the brain’s ability to change and adapt throughout life to better deal with challenges. But the findings don’t stop there.
Fast and rodent
The previous paragraph described only the first discoveries, made at the beginning of the research — scientists improved the rodent cart and noticed how much they began to enjoy driving towards sugary cereals, a reward for finishing the journey. Typically, rats prefer dirt, twigs, and rocks to plastic objects.
We humans also did not evolve to drive — our flexible brains, however, allowed us to acquire new skills, manipulating fire, tools, language and agriculture, and eventually inventing the wheel and cars.
For rats, the car is also completely different from what they would find in nature, making it the perfect opportunity to discover the extent of your skills in learning new things.
The mice’s motivation impressed researchers: they often jumped into the car and “stepped on the accelerator” before the vehicle is available to drive. Anticipation? Excited for the journey? Apparently, yes! They ranged from simple actions, such as getting on the vehicle and maneuvering a simple lever, to complex ones, such as making it go in a specific direction.
Noticing the animals’ excitement for the activity, the researchers developed the program “Wait for it” (“Wait for it”, in the original), where the rats received an object in the cage 15 minutes before eating or had to spend a few minutes in the containment before entering the Rat Park, where they could play.
With conditioning, waiting for pleasurable activities started to cause optimistic behavior in the mice, becoming full of dopamine from the anticipation of the positive event. One of the noticeable signs was Straub’s Tail, a position of the tail where it is erect, but with an “S” shape at the tip. This also happens when rodents are given morphine in the laboratory.
The discovery shows that animals, both human and non-human, navigate the unpredictability of life better if there is anticipation for positive experiencesa belief that rewards will come.
Between having immediate pleasures and savoring the planning by enjoying the journey to the reward, the mice chose the second option — and perhaps, for us, it is worth doing the same to have a healthy brain and life experience.
