Illustration of a rat in a maze, symbolizing cognitive training for schizophrenia.

Brain Training Breakthrough: Can 'Wisket' Rats Hold the Key to Schizophrenia Treatment?

Samir D’Costa in Health & Wellness September 2025 • 5 min read.

"New research suggests that cognitive training could be a game-changer for schizophrenia, offering hope for improved memory and reduced symptoms."

Schizophrenia, a complex mental disorder, affects millions worldwide, often marked by cognitive impairments that significantly impact daily life. While current treatments address some symptoms, they often fall short in improving memory and cognitive function. Now, exciting research is emerging, suggesting a potential breakthrough: cognitive training. This approach, previously showing promise in humans, is now being explored in animal models, offering new hope for those affected by this challenging condition.

Scientists are increasingly turning to animal models to understand and test potential treatments for schizophrenia. One such model, known as 'Wisket' rats, has shown similarities to the human condition, including cognitive deficits. Recent studies have focused on the effects of intensive cognitive training on these rats, observing remarkable improvements in their behavior and cognitive abilities. This research holds significant promise, potentially paving the way for more effective treatments in the future.

This article dives into the details of this groundbreaking research, exploring how cognitive training impacts 'Wisket' rats. We'll delve into the specific training methods, the observed behavioral changes, and the potential implications for future treatments. Through this exploration, we aim to provide a clear understanding of the current findings and their potential impact on the lives of those living with schizophrenia. The goal is to provide information that will also allow the audience to understand the potential of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Decoding the 'Wisket' Rat: A Window into Schizophrenia and Cognitive Training

Illustration of a rat in a maze, symbolizing cognitive training for schizophrenia.

The 'Wisket' rat model, developed to mimic aspects of schizophrenia, presents a unique opportunity to study the disease and test potential treatments. These rats exhibit several characteristics of the condition, including cognitive impairments, making them a valuable tool for researchers. By observing how these rats respond to cognitive training, scientists can gain insights into the underlying mechanisms of schizophrenia and evaluate the effectiveness of new interventions. This approach allows for a controlled environment to understand the potential impact of different therapies.

The training program involved the 'Wisket' rats navigating an enclosed space called the AMBITUS system. This system, designed to simulate a natural environment, included corridors and side boxes containing food rewards. The rats were trained to find these rewards, with researchers carefully tracking their movements and behaviors. The primary goal was to assess how this training affected their memory, learning, and overall cognitive function, with specific attention to parameters such as exploratory activity, attention, and learning ability. The goal was to find new insights into improving memory and attention of the patients.

Exploratory Behavior: Initial training days showed altered patterns of locomotion and exploratory behavior, indicating challenges with motivation and attention.
Cognitive Performance: The rats' learning abilities improved significantly, with training leading to better performance in finding food rewards.
Long-Term Effects: Training normalized many behavioral parameters, pointing to a possible effect on attention and motivation.
Predictive Value: These results support the use of 'Wisket' rats as a valid model for studying schizophrenia, as the training had similar effects to cognitive behavioral therapy.

The results of the study were promising. The 'Wisket' rats showed improvements in several key areas, particularly in the ability to find food rewards. Their overall exploratory activity normalized, suggesting that cognitive training could help improve attention and motivation, key factors in the daily lives of people with schizophrenia. The research also highlighted the importance of testing cognitive functions with tasks that reflect real-world scenarios. By focusing on how the rats learned and adapted in the AMBITUS system, researchers gained valuable insights into how cognitive training could be used to address learning impairments in schizophrenia patients. These results are similar to the ones that have been found in cognitive behavioral therapy.

A Promising Future for Schizophrenia Treatment

The findings from the 'Wisket' rat study represent an important step forward in schizophrenia research. By demonstrating the positive impact of cognitive training on a reliable animal model, researchers have opened doors for new treatment possibilities. The study's insights into how cognitive training affects motivation, attention, and learning could pave the way for more effective interventions in the future. As research continues and the knowledge of the disease increases, there is a growing hope for improved treatments and a better quality of life for those living with schizophrenia. The research offers a very good understanding to the potential impact of cognitive behavioral therapy and its impact on cognitive function.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.12.011, Alternate LINK

Title: Cognitive Training Improves The Disturbed Behavioral Architecture Of Schizophrenia-Like Rats, “Wisket”

Subject: Behavioral Neuroscience

Journal: Physiology & Behavior

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Authors: Gyongyi Horvath, Peter Liszli, Gabriella Kekesi, Alexandra Büki, Gyorgy Benedek

Published: 2019-03-01

Everything You Need To Know

What are 'Wisket' rats, and why are they used in schizophrenia research?

'Wisket' rats are a specific animal model developed to mimic aspects of schizophrenia in humans. They exhibit cognitive impairments similar to those seen in schizophrenia, making them valuable for studying the disease and testing potential treatments. Researchers use 'Wisket' rats to observe how cognitive training and other interventions impact their cognitive abilities, providing insights into the underlying mechanisms of schizophrenia and the effectiveness of new therapies. The behavioral improvements after cognitive training in 'Wisket' rats can indicate similar improvements that may occur with cognitive behavioral therapy in humans. However, 'Wisket' rats do not fully represent all the symptoms of schizophrenia, so findings must be carefully translated to human studies.

How did cognitive training improve the cognitive abilities of 'Wisket' rats in the study?

The cognitive training involved 'Wisket' rats navigating the AMBITUS system to find food rewards. This training led to improved learning abilities, better performance in finding the rewards, and normalization of exploratory activity. These changes suggest that cognitive training can enhance attention, motivation, and overall cognitive function in 'Wisket' rats. The AMBITUS system was designed to be a simulation of a natural environment, which helps with translating the cognitive function improvements into how patients would act in a real-world scenario. The training also highlights the possible effects of cognitive behavioral therapy.

What is the AMBITUS system, and how was it used in the cognitive training of 'Wisket' rats?

The AMBITUS system is an enclosed space designed to simulate a natural environment, featuring corridors and side boxes containing food rewards. In the study, 'Wisket' rats were trained to navigate this system and find the rewards. Researchers tracked their movements and behaviors to assess how the training affected their memory, learning, and overall cognitive function. The AMBITUS system allowed for controlled observation of the rats' cognitive performance, providing valuable data on the impact of cognitive training. The effectiveness of the AMBITUS system relies on the fact that 'Wisket' rats have diminished cognitive abilities, which is one of the primary symptoms in Schizophrenia. This makes it easier to track the improvements with cognitive behavioral therapy.

What are the potential implications of the 'Wisket' rat study for future treatments of schizophrenia?

The 'Wisket' rat study demonstrates the positive impact of cognitive training on a reliable animal model of schizophrenia, opening doors for new treatment possibilities. The study's insights into how cognitive training affects motivation, attention, and learning could pave the way for more effective interventions in the future. The results support the use of 'Wisket' rats as a valid model for studying schizophrenia, as the training had similar effects to cognitive behavioral therapy. More research is needed to translate these findings into effective treatments for humans with schizophrenia, and to understand the long-term effects of cognitive training. Future research could investigate which aspects of cognitive training are most effective.

How does cognitive training in 'Wisket' rats relate to cognitive behavioral therapy for humans with schizophrenia?

The positive effects of cognitive training observed in 'Wisket' rats, such as improved attention, motivation, and learning, are similar to the goals of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in humans with schizophrenia. CBT aims to improve cognitive function and daily living skills, and the study suggests that cognitive training can have similar benefits in an animal model. This supports the idea that cognitive training can be a valuable component of treatment for schizophrenia. The 'Wisket' rat study provides a controlled environment to study the mechanisms behind these improvements, which may inform how CBT is applied and refined. However, it's important to note that CBT involves more than just cognitive training; it also addresses emotional and behavioral aspects of the disorder, which are not fully represented in the 'Wisket' rat model.