An Inexpensive Infrared Detector to Verify the Delivery of Food Pellets

Pinkston, Jonathan W.; Ratzlaff, K.; Madden, Gregory J.; Fowler, Stephen C.

doi:10.1901/jeab.2008.90-249

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Identical left and right levers were positioned at the same height on the front wall; above each was a 28-V DC cue light. A pellet feeder (Coulbourn Instruments, Allentown, PA), equipped with an infrared pellet detector (Pinkston, Ratzlaff, Madden, & Fowler, 2008), delivered grain-based pellets (45 mg; Bio-Serv, Frenchtown, NJ) into a receptacle between the levers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early and prolonged exposure to reward delay: Effects on impulsive choice and alcohol self-administration in male rats.

Stein

Johnson

Renda

et al. 2013

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

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Naturally occurring impulsive choice has been found to positively predict alcohol consumption in rats. However, the extent to which experimental manipulation of impulsive choice may modify alcohol consumption remains unclear. In the present study, we sought to: (a) train low levels of impulsive choice in rats using early, prolonged exposure to reward delay, and (b) determine the effects of this manipulation on subsequent alcohol consumption. During a prolonged training regimen, three groups of male, adolescent Long-Evans rats (21-22 days old at intake) responded on a single lever for food rewards delivered after either a progressively increasing delay, a fixed delay, or no delay. Post-tests of impulsive choice were conducted, as was an evaluation of alcohol consumption using a limited-access, two-bottle test. Following delay-exposure training, both groups of delay-exposed rats made significantly fewer impulsive choices than did rats in the no-delay group. In addition, fixed-delay rats consumed significantly more alcohol during daily, 30-min sessions than no-delay rats. Possible mechanisms of these effects are discussed, as is the significance of these findings to nonhuman models of addiction.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early and prolonged exposure to reward delay: Effects on impulsive choice and alcohol self-administration in male rats.

Stein

Johnson

Renda

et al. 2013

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

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“…A feeder (Coulbourn, Allentown, PA) delivered 45-mg grain-based food pellets (BioServ, Frenchtown, NJ) into a receptacle (3 cm wide and 4 cm long) equipped with a 2-W light in the center of the intelligence panel (1 cm above the floor and 10 cm below the center lever). All feeders were outfitted with infrared pellet detectors to insure integrity of pellet delivery (Pinkston et al, 2008). Chambers were enclosed within a light- and sound-attenuation cubicle (Med Associates ENV-018MD) equipped with a ventilation fan and a white noise speaker.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delay discounting and gambling

Madden

Francisco

Brewer

et al. 2011

Behavioural Processes

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Delay discounting describes the decline in the value of a reinforcer as the delay to that reinforcer increases. A review of the available studies revealed that steep delay discounting is positively correlated with problem or pathological gambling. One hypothesis regarding this correlation derives from the discounting equation proposed by Mazur (1989). According to the equation, steeper discounting renders the difference between fixed-delayed rewards and gambling-like variable-delayed rewards larger; with the latter being more valuable. The present study was designed to test this prediction by first assessing rats’ impulsive choices across four delays to a larger-later reinforcer. A second condition quantified strength of preference for mixed- over fixed-delays, with the duration of the latter adjusted between sessions to achieve indifference. Strength of preference for the mixed-delay alternative is given by the fixed delay at indifference (lower fixed-delay values reflect stronger preferences). Percent impulsive choice was not correlated with the value of the fixed delay at indifference and, therefore, the prediction of the hyperbolic model of gambling was not supported. A follow-up assessment revealed a significant decrease in impulsive choice after the second condition. This shift in impulsive choice could underlie the failure to observe the predicted correlation between impulsive choice and degree of preference for mixed- over fixed delays.

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“…Above each lever was a white, 28-V cue light (2.5 cm in diameter and 6 cm above each lever). A feeder (Coulbourn Instruments, Allentown, PA) equipped with a pellet detection unit (Pinkston, Ratzlaff, Madden, & Fowler, 2008) delivered 45-mg grain-based food pellets (Bio-serv, Frenchtown, NJ; no. F0165) into a receptacle in the center of the intelligence panel (3 cm wide and 4 cm long) equipped with a 28-V light (1 cm above the floor and 10 cm below the center lever).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of pramipexole on impulsive choice in male wistar rats.

Madden¹,

Johnson²,

Brewer³

et al. 2010

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

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Clinical reports, primarily with Parkinson's patients, note an association between the prescribed use of pramipexole (and other direct-acting dopamine agonist medications) and impulse control disorders, particularly pathological gambling. Two experiments examined the effects of acute pramipexole on rats' impulsive choices where impulsivity was defined as selecting a smallersooner over a larger-later food reward. In Experiment 1, pramipexole (0.1 to 0.3 mg/kg) significantly increased impulsive choices in a condition in which few impulsive choices were made during a stable baseline. In a control condition, in which impulsive choices predominated during baseline, pramipexole did not significantly change the same rats' choices. Experiment 2 explored a wider range of doses (0.01 to 0.3 mg/kg) using a choice procedure in which delays to the larger-later reinforcer delivery increased across trial blocks within each session. At the doses used in Experiment 1, pramipexole shifted choice toward indifference regardless of the operative delay. At lower doses of pramipexole (0.01 & 0.03 mg/kg), a trend toward more impulsive choice was observed at the 0.03 mg/kg dose. The difference in outcomes across experiments may be due to the more complex discriminations required in Experiment 2; i.e., multiple discriminations between changing delays within each session. KeywordsPramipexole; D2/D3 agonist; Impulsivity; Choice; GamblingThe Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text revision DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) classifies pathological gambling (PG) as one of several impulse control disorders. Several recent clinical reports suggest that individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) who are treated with dopamine (DA) agonist medications may demonstrate increased impulsivity and gambling activities which in some cases reaches pathological levels (for a review see Potenza et al., 2007). Other cases of DA agonist-related problem behavior have involved compulsive shopping and hypersexuality (Dodd et al., 2005;Driver-Dunckley et al., 2007;Giovannoni et al., 2000;Klos et al., 2005;McKeon et al., 2007;Munhoz et al., 2009;Voon et al., 2006a;Weintraub et al., 2006); two activities also classified by the DSM-IV-TR as impulse control disorders. A causal role of these DA agonist medications in the development of impulsive behaviors is suggested by the absence (or socially acceptable frequency) of impulse control disorders prior to drug therapy Corresponding Author: Gregory J. Madden, Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Ave., Lawrence, KS 66045, gmadden@ku.edu,. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omis...

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An Inexpensive Infrared Detector to Verify the Delivery of Food Pellets

Cited by 9 publications

References 2 publications

Early and prolonged exposure to reward delay: Effects on impulsive choice and alcohol self-administration in male rats.

Early and prolonged exposure to reward delay: Effects on impulsive choice and alcohol self-administration in male rats.

Delay discounting and gambling

Effects of pramipexole on impulsive choice in male wistar rats.

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