Rats Have a Sense of Number, Reveals Study from China
A group of researchers from China conducted an experiment, claiming that rats have a sense of number determined by a specific area of the brain. This discovery represents an important animal model that can be used for further studies on the neural basis of mathematical abilities in humans.
Understanding the Role of Numbers in the Animal World
According to information on the City University of Hong Kong website, the sense of number plays a crucial role in the animal world, helping them navigate their environment and increasing their chances of survival. In humans, this cognitive skill is also the foundation for mathematical abilities. However, some people suffering from dyscalculia cannot properly grasp even basic mathematical skills.
Significance of the Experiment
During the experiment, researchers created conditions in which rats could focus solely on numbers, ignoring external stimuli. Rats without prior knowledge of numbers were trained to sounds corresponding to two or three numbers. As a result, the animals developed a sense of number, using it to choose a food reward based on the quantity of auditory signals.
Neurobiologist Jung Wing-ho explained that blocking a specific part of the rat’s brain, known as the posterior parietal cortex, disrupts their ability to understand numbers, indicating the existence of a specialized area for working with numbers in the rat brain. This is the first scientific evidence that rats are able to discriminate and classify three different numbers in one test, surpassing simple quantitative comparisons.
These findings could help in the search for methods to treat dyscalculia in humans, as well as in the development of artificial intelligence.
