A real‐time working memory evaluation system for macaques in microwave fields

Abstract With the development and widespread application of electromagnetic technology, the health hazards of electromagnetic radiation have attracted much attention and concern. The effect of electromagnetic radiation on the nervous system, especially on learning, memory, and cognitive functions, is an important research topic in the field of electromagnetic biological effects. Most previous studies were conducted with rodents, which are relatively mature. As research has progressed, studies using non‐human primates as experimental subjects have been carried out. Compared to rodents, non‐human primates such as macaques not only have brain structures more similar to those of humans but also exhibit learning and memory processes that are similar. In this paper, we present a behavioral test system for the real‐time evaluation of the working memory (WM) of macaques in a microwave environment. The system consists of two parts: hardware and software. The hardware consists of four modules: the operation terminal, the control terminal, the optical signal transmission, and detection module and the reward feedback module. The software program can implement the feeding learning task, the button‐pressing learning task, and the delayed match‐to‐sample task. The device is useful for the real‐time evaluation of the WM of macaques in microwave environments, showing good electromagnetic compatibility, a simple and reliable structure, and easy operation.