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5/9 Serial Reaction Task

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Animal Behavior

Behavior Tracking

Circadian Biology

Environmental Cabinets

Fear Conditioning

Luminometry

Novel Object

Operant Behavior

Primate Behavior

Tissue

Touchscreen

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Autoshaping (Auto) for Rats

Brand: Campden

Product Code: 89544A-R

The task measures a Pavlovian response to the screen. This is a rapidly administered test of simple classical conditioning that is dependent on a reward system centred on the ventral striatum. White vertical rectangles are presented on either side of the reward tray. One side is always followed by delivery of food reward, the other never. Reward is independent of screen approach. Approaches to the screen are measured via an IR beam detector either side of the food tray. For this task the reward trough is placed in front of the screen.

There is a variant of the task, where reward is only given if the animal does not approach the screen to measure the ability to withhold a response.

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Example Neural Systems Involved

Ventral Striatum
Amygdala
Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine
Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus
D1 receptors
NMDA receptors
Amygdala

Clinical Areas Showing Impairment

Huntington’s

Cognitive Functions Covered

Learning
Emotional Cognition and responding to reinforcement
Cognitive Flexibility and Response Inhibition

Typical Training Times (depends on strain and age)

Just a few sessions
No pre-training required

Scientific Resources

Nithianantharajah J, Komiyama NH, McKechanie A, et al. (2013) Synaptic scaffold evolution generated components of vertebrate cognitive complexity. Nat Neurosci.;16(1):16-24. - Abstract
Dalley JW, Chudasama Y, Theobald DE, Pettifer CL, Fletcher CM, Robbins TW. (2002). Nucleus accumbens dopamine and discriminated approach learning: interactive effects of 6-hydroxydopamine lesions and systemic apomorphine administration. Psychopharmacology (Berl).;161(4):425-433.
Inglis WL, Olmstead MC, Robbins TW. (2000) Pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus lesions impair stimulus?reward learning in autoshaping and conditioned reinforcement paradigms. Behav Neurosci.;114(2): 285-294.
Parkinson JA, Willoughby PJ, Robbins TW, Everitt BJ. (2000) Disconnection of the anterior cingulate cortex and nucleus accumbens core impairs Pavlovian approach behavior: further evidence for limbic corticalventral striatopallidal systems. Behav Neurosci.;114(1):42-63.

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AutoShaping Task using Bussey-Saksida Rodent Touchscreen