Higher nervous activity of cattle

Higher nervous activity is the activity of the higher parts of the brain, ensuring the most perfect and subtle adaptation of the body to changing environmental conditions, in contrast to the activity of the central nervous system in regulating the relationship between parts of the body.

Higher nervous activity is based on conditioned reflexes, which are developed during the individual life of animals on the basis of some innate activity - an unconditioned reflex or instinct, for example, food, defensive, sexual, as well as already developed conditioned reflexes.

Conditioned reflexes are formed under certain circumstances.
A conditioned reflex is developed due to a certain state of the nervous process - excitation, which is constantly opposed by another state - inhibition. Inhibition is an adaptive reaction of the body, and it is aimed at eliminating developed positive reflexes that have temporarily or completely lost their biological significance. All higher nervous activity is a set of temporary connections that constantly arise and are inhibited in the process of vital activity of the organism. The formation of simple and complex combinations of temporary connections is a process of accumulation of individual life experience.
Knowledge of the laws and characteristics of higher nervous activity of various species and breeds of farm animals is of great importance for organizing optimal conditions for their cultivation, maintenance and operation in order to obtain maximum productivity from them.

It has been established that under normal milking conditions the main part of milk and milk fat is secreted by the mammary glands of the cow conditionally reflexively. The conditioned milk ejection reflex occurs in response to the action of a complex of conditioned stimuli (time, place, order of milking, approach of the milkmaid), as a result of repeated milkings in the same conditions. The most complete implementation of conditioned reflex milk ejection contributes to faster and more complete milking of milk and especially milk fat, most of which is contained in the last portions of milk yield and is retained in the udder when milk ejection is inhibited. Such inhibition can occur due to any violation of milking conditions. Therefore, to obtain high milk yields, it is necessary to maintain constant milking conditions.
Research by scientists has established a mutual connection between higher nervous activity and milk production in cows, wool productivity in sheep, and performance and agility in horses. The characteristics of the higher nervous activity of farm animals are important in breeding. The most desirable animals for agriculture are those with a strong, balanced, active type of nervous activity.

The first person to tell humanity what temperament means was Hippocrates. In his opinion, human life is subject to four types of body fluids:
• blood
• bile
• black bile
• lymph (mucus or phlegm).
The interpretation of the ancient Greek doctor defined the types of human temperament as the ratio of his character traits and behavioral characteristics.

The work of Hippocrates was continued by the ancient scientist Claudius Galen. He created a classification of human temperament types already known to our contemporaries:
1. Sanguine - in Latin sanguis means "blood."
2. Phlegmatic - from Greek phlegma is translated as “mucus” or “wet.”
3. Choleric - comes from the Greek word chole, which means “bile.”
4. Melancholic - in Greek the phrase melas chole means black bile.
Until the 19th century, scientists used Hippocratic theory to study character types. Aristotle and Lesgaft believed that the physiological basis of temperament also includes processes such as blood clotting and the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Temperaments of Dairy Cows
Scientists have found that among cows there are phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic.

From a very early age, cows react to the surrounding reality in different ways. The temperament of animals not only determines their behavior in stressful situations, but can also influence their health and productivity.

Psychological tests... for cows

The idea that cows can also be choleric or melancholic was visited by Dutch zoologist Kees van Reenen, Doctor of Science at the University of Groningen (Netherlands).

The study examined black and white Holstein-Friesian cows. Observations of the animals were carried out from the moment of their birth until full adulthood.

The researcher conducted a variety of behavioral tests and physiological experiments to determine how the animals responded to external stimuli. The following parameters were recorded: the manifestation of feelings of anxiety and fear, mooing (sound signals), pulse rate and the release of cortisol (the adrenal hormone responsible for stress) into the blood. In addition, the zoologist observed the behavior of cows, assessing such signs of temperament as timidity or, conversely, constant curiosity, need for society and mobility.

In experiments, Rinen studied the behavior of cows in a variety of stressful situations to see what their reaction would be. The easiest thing that could be thought of in a farm setting, so as not to injure the cows with too severe ordeals, was meeting with unfamiliar people or unknown objects.
To do this, one animal was selected from the herd and brought into a separate barn. After some time, a painted canister appeared next to the cow, hanging on a rope from the ceiling. The reaction was immediately visible. Some cows approached an unfamiliar object within a few seconds, others could not dare to take such a decisive step even after ten minutes of deliberation.
Van Reenen believes that the fear expressed in this way had physiological reasons. During the experiment, it was found that cows that thoroughly studied the unusual canister had a reduced concentration of stress hormones in the blood, while more cautious animals experienced quite strong stress, which prevented them from coming closer. To prove this, the researcher used the sedative drug brotizolam. Indeed, in animals that were given a sedative, the duration of contact with the canister increased, and the level of stress hormones after this procedure became much lower.
It is generally accepted that mooing is a signal of anxiety and a sign of a stressed state of the cow. However, Van Reenen found out that this is not entirely true. Although animals tested with a painted canister on a string began to moo, this was not associated with stress. Cows that noisily communicated something to others continued to do so even after the use of tranquilizers. That is, in a situation where they were not stressed at all.

Further studies of animals in the herd allowed scientists to draw another interesting conclusion. Heifers that always mooed more often and louder than others later showed higher results in terms of milk yield.

Social cows produce more milk! And they have no trace of stress. The author of the study says that frequent mooing may be one of the characteristics of temperament that indicates a desire to be in the company of others like oneself or simply to communicate with someone. So, if your cow mooes often, she simply doesn’t get enough of your attention.

So, research data allows us to say with confidence that cows, like other animals, are endowed with different temperaments. This means that breeders and geneticists have an additional parameter for selection. After all, temperament, if we perceive it as an ability to resist stress, has a very great influence on milk yield and health.

Now, when research in this direction continues and the relationship is fully established, selecting animals by temperament type will become as easy as, say, by bone strength or daily weight gain.

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