Modeling operant behavior in the Parkinsonian rat

Mathematical principles of reinforcement (MPR; Killeen, 1994) is a quantitative model of operant behavior that contains three parameters representing motor capacity ( δ), motivation ( a), and short term memory ( λ). The present study applied MPR to characterize the effects of bilateral infusions of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioural brain research 2009-03, Vol.198 (2), p.298-305
Main Authors: Avila, Irene, Reilly, Mark P., Sanabria, Federico, Posadas-Sánchez, Diana, Chavez, Claudia L., Banerjee, Nikhil, Killeen, Peter, Castañeda, Eddie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Animals
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Conditioning, Operant
Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases
Disease Models, Animal
Dopamine
Dopamine - deficiency
Fixed-ratio schedule
Food
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Male
Medical sciences
Memory
Memory, Short-Term
Microinjections
Motivation
Motor
Motor Activity
MPR
Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes)
Nervous system as a whole
Neurology
Operant behavior
Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology
Oxidopamine - administration & dosage
Oxidopamine - toxicity
Parkinson Disease - metabolism
Parkinson Disease - physiopathology
Parkinson Disease - psychology
Parkinson's disease
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reinforcement Schedule
Reinforcement, Psychology
Substantia Nigra - drug effects
Substantia Nigra - metabolism
Sympatholytics - administration & dosage
Sympatholytics - toxicity
Time Factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Mathematical principles of reinforcement (MPR; Killeen, 1994) is a quantitative model of operant behavior that contains three parameters representing motor capacity ( δ), motivation ( a), and short term memory ( λ). The present study applied MPR to characterize the effects of bilateral infusions of 6-OHDA into the substantia nigra pars compacta in the rat, a model of Parkinson's disease. Rats were trained to lever press under a 5-component fixed-ratio (5, 15, 30, 60, and 100) schedule of food reinforcement. Rats were tested for 15 days prior to dopamine lesions and again for 15 days post-lesion. To characterize functional loss relative to lesion size, rats were grouped according to the extent and the degree of lateralization of their dopamine loss. Response rates decreased as a function of dopamine depletion, primarily at intermediate ratios. MPR accounted for 98% of variance in pre- and post-lesion response rates. Consistent with reported disruptions in motor behavior induced by dopaminergic lesions, estimates of δ increased when dopamine was severely depleted. There was no support for different estimates of a based on pre- and post-lesion performance of any lesion group, suggesting that dopamine loss has negligible effects on incentive motivation. The present study demonstrates the usefulness of combining operant techniques with a theoretical model to better understand the effects of a neurochemical manipulation.
ISSN:0166-4328
1872-7549
DOI:10.1016/j.bbr.2008.11.033