Author(s): Deacon RMJ
At present, learning and memory tests are widely used in the preclinical search for treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, in most cases these tests do not probe “episodic memory” which is the type most affected in AD. This article describes a different approach to preclinical testing - the use of species-typical tasks. These mirror “activities of daily living,” impairments of which are noticeable in the earliest stages of the illness. These impairments are frequently more of a problem to the patient than the loss of cognitive abilities, and lead to a need for carers or institutionalisation, both of which can be costly. Species-typical tasks do not require food deprivation or aversive stimulation to motivate the animals; they are performed spontaneously. Moreover they are simple and cheap to execute. Thus they model an aspect of the disease more closely, are cost-effective, simpler and ethically sounder than current practices.
