An automated home-cage-based 5-choice serial reaction time task for rapid assessment of attention and impulsivity in rats

B. Bruinsma, H. Terra, S. F. de Kloet, A. Luchicchi, A. J. Timmerman, E. Remmelink, M. Loos, Tommy Pattij, Huibert D. Mansvelder

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18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

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.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2015-2026
Number of pages12
JournalPsychopharmacology
Volume236
Issue number7
Early online date2 Mar 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2019

Keywords

  • 5-CSRTT
  • Animal model
  • Attention
  • Home-cage
  • Impulsivity
  • Rats
  • Scopolamine

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