Table 1.
Mean (± S.E.) outcomes of the T-maze spatial task
| Sham-dosed | Coconut oil | Commercial product | Water | F value | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Habituation | ||||||
| Number of pigs | 20 | 21 | 16 | 19 | ||
| Number of sessions | 9.6 ± 1.13 | 10.7 ± 1.24 | 10.1 ± 1.26 | 10.6 ± 1.26 | F(3,65) = 0.48 | 0.695 |
| Success rate (%) | 62.2 ± 13.20 | 58.0 ± 13.34 | 39.1 ± 14.48 | 52.6 ± 13.98 | F(3,68) = 0.62 | 0.603 |
| Training 1 | ||||||
| Number of pigs | 12 | 12 | 7 | 10 | ||
| Number of sessions | 1.8 ± 0.49 | 1.3 ± 0.37 | 1.1 ± 0.47 | 1.3 ± 0.41 | F(3,32) = 0.54 | 0.662 |
| Success rate (%)1 | 91.7 ± 8.33 | 91.7 ± 8.33 | 100 ± 0.00 | 90.0 ± 10.00 | F(3,32) = 0.04 | 0.988 |
| Latency to enter successful arm (s) | 24.2 ± 1.73 | 28.8 ± 1.93 | 29.4 ± 3.05 | 23.4 ± 2.00 | F(3,133) = 2.88 | 0.073 |
| Latency to reward (s) | 30.0 ± 1.76 | 33.4 ± 1.89 | 34.4 ± 3.00 | 29.6 ± 2.09 | F(3,122) = 1.12 | 0.344 |
| Duration of trial (s) | 59.1 ± 1.18 | 58.0 ± 1.30 | 58.2 ± 2.00 | 55.3 ± 1.41 | F(3,174) = 1.79 | 0.150 |
| Non-compliant trials (%) | 12.9 ± 2.75a | 9.1 ± 2.31 | 3.8 ± 1.68b | 7.8 ± 2.37 | F(3,592) = 3.07 | 0.027 |
| Training 2 | ||||||
| Number of pigs | 11 | 11 | 7 | 9 | ||
| Number of sessions | 2.4 ± 0.48 | 2.8 ± 0.52 | 2.5 ± 0.83 | 2.0 ± 0.47 | F(3,1) = 0.54 | 0.732 |
| Success rate (%) | 86.5 ± 10.36 | 76.5 ± 13.42 | 65.6 ± 22.8 | 82.7 ± 12.72 | F(3,1) = 0.31 | 0.830 |
| Latency to enter successful arm (s) | 17.0 ± 1.53 | 16.9 ± 1.37 | 15.2 ± 2.36 | 17.9 ± 1.81 | F(3,80.4) = 0.25 | 0.860 |
| Latency to reward (s) | 20.6 ± 1.86 | 22.5 ± 1.74 | 20.4 ± 2.72 | 22.3 ± 2.17 | F(3,117) = 0.38 | 0.768 |
| Duration trial (s) | 37.5 ± 1.92 | 39.1 ± 1.84 | 34.6 ± 2.64 | 39.8 ± 2.22 | F(3,202) = 1.03 | 0.382 |
| Non-compliant trials (%) | 6.3 ± 1.41 | 6.7 ± 1.42 | 8.6 ± 2.67 | 5.6 ± 1.69 | F(3,952) = 0.38 | 0.767 |
| Reversal | ||||||
| Number of pigs | 9 | 8 | 5 | 7 | ||
| Number of sessions | 2.6 ± 0.59 | 2.7 ± 0.61 | 2.6 ± 0.93 | 3.0 ± 0.71 | F(3,1) = 0.1 | 0.948 |
| Success rate (%) | 52.1 ± 19.10 | 49.2 ± 18.76 | 52.1 ± 26.69 | 58.8 ± 20.11 | F(3,21) = 0.04 | 0.989 |
| Latency to enter successful arm (s) | 10.9 ± 2.75 | 14.0 ± 2.39 | 13.9 ± 3.24 | 15.8 ± 2.49 | F(3,87.5) = 1.33 | 0.271 |
| Latency to reward (s) | 15.0 ± 2.95 | 17.9 ± 2.66 | 18.1 ± 3.46 | 21.0 ± 2.76 | F(3,90.1) = 2.02 | 0.117 |
| Duration trial (s) | 29.6 ± 4.24a | 32.5 ± 4.01 | 39.4 ± 4.66b | 37.0 ± 4.05b | F(3,191) = 4.67 | 0.004 |
| Non-compliant trials (%) | 15.3 ± 2.65 | 8.1 ± 1.86 | 15.2 ± 3.71 | 15.9 ± 2.73 | F(3,802) = 2.44 | 0.064 |
Tested piglets either received a dose of energy (coconut oil or commercial product) or water (water), or were sham-dosed (sham), at 3 h post-partum. Habituation to the experimental procedure started 3 days post-weaning (29 ± 0.3 days) and training started at approximately 37 (± 0.5) days. Training and reversal sessions lasted 60 s. During training 1 sessions, pigs were allowed to enter both choice arms to retrieve the reward (mistake allowed). In training 2 sessions, pigs were only allowed one entry attempt. In the reversal sessions, the reward arm was opposite to the one learned in training sessions, and pigs were allowed only one entry attempt
Superscript letters indicate significant differences between the neonatal supplementations at P < 0.05
1Numbers presented are the raw values