The Pig as a Model Animal for Studying Cognition and Neurobehavioral Disorders

Abstract

In experimental animal research, a short phylogenetic distance, i.e., high resemblance between the model species and the species to be modeled is expected to increase the relevance and generalizability of results obtained in the model species. The (mini)pig shows multiple advantageous characteristics that have led to an increase in the use of this species in studies modeling human medical issues, including neurobehavioral (dys)functions. For example, the cerebral cortex of pigs, unlike that of mice or rats, has cerebral convolutions (gyri and sulci) similar to the human neocortex. We expect that appropriately chosen pig models will yield results of high translational value. However, this claim still needs to be substantiated by research, and the area of pig research is still in its infancy. This chapter provides an overview of the pig as a model species for studying cognitive dysfunctions and neurobehavioral disorders and their treatment, along with a discussion of the pros and cons of various tests, as an aid to researchers considering the use of pigs as model animal species in biomedical research.

Behavioral Deficits and Axonal Injury Persistence after Rotational Head Injury Are Direction Dependent

“…[4][5][6] This also makes piglets particularly well suited to studies of pediatric populations, and the immature piglet model of TBI has been shown to have many similar findings observed in infant TBI. 17,22 Furthermore, this infant piglet model exhibits an injury pattern and severity that is dependent upon rotational plane, similar to experimental and finite element findings in primates and humans.…”

“…12,[14][15][16] Unfortunately, there is a paucity of validated behavioral tests for the immature piglet model, and those used on rodents do not translate well to pigs because of their different motor abilities, handling needs, and responses to stimuli (e.g., the well-known aversion of mice to light and open spaces is not observed in pigs). [4][5][6]23 As more robust and refined behavioral tests are developed for the porcine TBI model, it will be …”

“…1,2 The anatomy and development of the pig brain resembles the human brain more closely than does the rodent brain. [3][4][5][6] Whereas rodent brains are lissencephalic and have little white matter, porcine and human brains are gyrencephalic, and have a similar distribution of white and gray matter. Furthermore, changes in growth and myelination of the porcine brain during development are similar to those of the human brain, making the neonatal piglet a more appropriate model for the infant brain.…”

Current Therapeutic Modalities, Enzyme Kinetics, and Redox Proteomics in Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Use of a neonatal piglet TBI model has increased due to their similarities in human myelin sheath, tissue morphology, cerebral structure, and development [8]. Neonatal piglet TBI research allows for future research in behavioral and cognitive assessment and is presumed to be utilized as a tool for preventing secondary injury, such as stroke and resuscitation strategies [9].…”

Improved Behavior, Motor, and Cognition Assessments in Neonatal Piglets

“…[9][10][11] An immature porcine model is growing in prevalence as a tool in brain injury research because its tissue composition, gyrencephalic structure, and developmental growth and myelination resemble an immature human brain. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] There are limited porcine behavioral and motor outcome measures, however, and few have been correlated with lesion volume from TBI.…”