TY - JOUR
T1 - An automated home-cage-based 5-choice serial reaction time task for rapid assessment of attention and impulsivity in rats
AU - Bruinsma, B.
AU - Terra, H.
AU - de Kloet, S. F.
AU - Luchicchi, A.
AU - Timmerman, A. J.
AU - Remmelink, E.
AU - Loos, M.
AU - Pattij, Tommy
AU - Mansvelder, Huibert D.
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - Rationale: The 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) is a widely used operant task for measuring attention and motor impulsivity in rodents. Training animals in this task requires an extensive period of daily operant sessions. Recently, a self-paced, automated version of this task has been developed for mice, which substantially reduces training time. Whether a similar approach is effective for rats is currently unknown. Objective: Here, we tested whether attention and impulsivity can be assessed in rats with a self-paced version of the 5-CSRTT. Methods: Operant boxes were connected to home-cages with tunnels. Two groups of rats self-paced their training by means of an automated script. The first group of animals was allowed unlimited access (UA) to start trials in the task; for the second group, trial availability was restricted to the first 2.5 h of the dark cycle (TR). Task parameter manipulations, such as variable inter-trial intervals and stimulus durations as well as pharmacological challenges with scopolamine, were tested to validate the task. Results: Self-paced training took less than 1 week. Animals in the UA group showed higher levels of omissions compared with the TR group. In both protocols, variable inter-trial intervals increased impulsivity, and variable stimulus durations decreased attentional performance. Scopolamine affected cognitive performance in the TR group only. Conclusions: Home-cage-based training of the 5-CSRTT in rats, especially the TR protocol, presents a valid and fast alternative for measuring attention and impulsivity.
AB - Rationale: The 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) is a widely used operant task for measuring attention and motor impulsivity in rodents. Training animals in this task requires an extensive period of daily operant sessions. Recently, a self-paced, automated version of this task has been developed for mice, which substantially reduces training time. Whether a similar approach is effective for rats is currently unknown. Objective: Here, we tested whether attention and impulsivity can be assessed in rats with a self-paced version of the 5-CSRTT. Methods: Operant boxes were connected to home-cages with tunnels. Two groups of rats self-paced their training by means of an automated script. The first group of animals was allowed unlimited access (UA) to start trials in the task; for the second group, trial availability was restricted to the first 2.5 h of the dark cycle (TR). Task parameter manipulations, such as variable inter-trial intervals and stimulus durations as well as pharmacological challenges with scopolamine, were tested to validate the task. Results: Self-paced training took less than 1 week. Animals in the UA group showed higher levels of omissions compared with the TR group. In both protocols, variable inter-trial intervals increased impulsivity, and variable stimulus durations decreased attentional performance. Scopolamine affected cognitive performance in the TR group only. Conclusions: Home-cage-based training of the 5-CSRTT in rats, especially the TR protocol, presents a valid and fast alternative for measuring attention and impulsivity.
KW - 5-CSRTT
KW - Animal model
KW - Attention
KW - Home-cage
KW - Impulsivity
KW - Rats
KW - Scopolamine
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85062670174&origin=inward
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30826849
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062670174&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85062670174&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05189-0
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05189-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 30826849
SN - 0033-3158
VL - 236
SP - 2015
EP - 2026
JO - Psychopharmacology
JF - Psychopharmacology
IS - 7
ER -