How operant conditioning can contribute to behavioral toxicology.

Laties, Victor G.

doi:10.1289/ehp.782629

Cited by 20 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…As shown with individual data, some effects of EtOH on behavior are clearly detectable at the individual level with the use of an ABA experimental design. This result opens the door to a more systematic use of such design in insect behavior and learning studies to assess the effect of various toxics or chemicals at the individual level (Cohn and MacPhail, ; Laties, ). Moreover, reinforcement schedules appear to be a promising tool to model work and searching time during honeybee foraging trips (Hodos and Trumbule, ; Kamil, ; Zeiler, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethanol Self‐Administration in Free‐Flying Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in an Operant Conditioning Protocol

Sokolowski

Abramson

Craig

2012

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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Background: This study examines the effect of ethanol (EtOH) on continuous reinforcement schedules in the free-flying honeybee (Apis mellifera L.). As fermented nectars may be encountered naturally in the environment, we designed an experiment combining the tools of laboratory research with minimal disturbance to the natural life of honeybees.Methods: Twenty-five honeybees were trained to fly from their colonies to a fully automated operant chamber with head poking as the operant response. Load size, intervisit interval, and interresponse times (IRTs) served as the dependent variables and were monitored over the course of a daily training session consisting of many visits. Experimental bees were tested using an ABA design in which sucrose only was administered during condition A and a 5% EtOH sucrose solution was administered during condition B. Control bees received sucrose solution only.Results: Most bees continued to forage after EtOH introduction. EtOH significantly reduced the load size and the intervisit interval with no significant effect on IRTs. However, a look on individual data shows large individual differences suggesting the existence of different kinds of behavioral phenotypes linked to EtOH consumption and effects.Conclusions: Our results contribute to the study of EtOH consumption as a normal phenomenon in an ecological context and open the door to schedule-controlled drug self-administration studies in honeybees.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethanol Self‐Administration in Free‐Flying Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in an Operant Conditioning Protocol

Sokolowski

Abramson

Craig

2012

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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“…In the study reported here, we selected and studied neurobehavioral functions using the so-called schedule-controlled operant behavior (SCOB) procedure. This procedure has been widely used in the fields of behavioral pharmacology and toxicology because it is highly sensitive in detecting a subtle alterations (see reviews in [15][16][17][18]). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning behavior in rat offspring after in utero and lactational exposure to either TCDD or PCB126

Hojo

Kakeyama

Kurokawa

et al. 2008

Environ Health Prev Med

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Objectives We studied and compared the possible effects of in utero and lactational exposure to 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) or 3, 3 0 , 4, 4 0 , 5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) on learning behavior in offspring. MethodsPregnant Long-Evans Hooded rats were administered either TCDD (50, 200, or 800 ng/kg) or PCB126 (500, 2,000 or 8,000 ng/kg) on gestational day 15. A procedure of schedule-controlled operant behavior was applied to examine learning behavior in the male and female offspring at 11 weeks of age for 30 days. Three indices, namely, response rates in a fixed ratio (FR) and in a differential reinforcement of low rates (DRL), and reward rate in the DRL component in multiple FR 20 DRL 20 s (mult-FR 20 DRL 20-s) test sessions, were used for the evaluation of learning behavior. Results Toxic effects on learning behavior in male and female pups following in utero and lactational exposure to TCDD or PCB126 were observed mainly in the FR learning component. However, no linear dose-dependent effects of either of the two compounds were observed for the above three indices. The response rates of animals in the low-dose TCDD and PCB126 groups decreased and those in medium-dose TCDD and PCB126 groups appeared to induce hyperactive behavior. The high dose of PCB126 appeared to have a distinct toxicity from that of TCDD in terms of the acquisition of learning behavior. Conclusions Toxicities of PCB126 and TCDD in learning behavior might be similar to each other and the current toxic equivalency factor (TEF) of 0.1 for PCB126 can be considered to be appropriate for this endpoint.

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“…Task difficulty can be increased to examine higher-order cognitive functions (Weiss and O'Donoghue, 1994). Operant behavior is affected in known ways by agents, including chemicals (Laties, 1978) and drugs (Dews, 1972) that affect the function of the central nervous system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A rat model of neurobehavioral sensitization to toluene

1999

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Some individuals report that, following either a single high-level or repeated lower-level exposures to chemicals (initiation), subsequent exposure to very low concentrations of chemicals (triggering) produces a variety of adverse effects, including disruption of cognitive processes. Our objective was to model this two-step process in a laboratory animal. Two groups of 16 rats, eight male and eight female, received whole-body inhalation exposure to toluene, either at 80 ppm for 6 h/day for 4 weeks (Repeat group) or to 1600 ppm for 6 h/day on one day only (Acute group). Two other groups (Trigger group and Clean group) of 16 were sham-exposed. After 17 days without toluene exposure, the Acute, Repeat and Trigger groups began a series of daily toluene 'trigger' exposures (10 ppm for 1 h) followed immediately by testing on an operant repeated-acquisitions task requiring learning within and across sessions. The Clean group was sham-exposed prior to operant testing. Trigger or sham exposures and operant testing continued 5 days/week for 17 sessions. Analysis of variance revealed a variety of statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences between treatment groups. Furthermore, the patterns of differences between groups differed (P < 0.05) for female and male rats. For example, male rats of the Trigger group made the most responses, and female rats of the Repeat group responded most slowly. The observation of important changes in the operant behavior of female and male rats previously exposed to toluene, at relatively low concentrations (80 or 1600 ppm) and then later re-exposed at very low concentrations (10 ppm), is consistent with the experiences of humans reporting cognitive difficulties following acute or chronic exposures to chemicals.

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How operant conditioning can contribute to behavioral toxicology.

Cited by 20 publications

References 48 publications

Ethanol Self‐Administration in Free‐Flying Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in an Operant Conditioning Protocol

Ethanol Self‐Administration in Free‐Flying Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in an Operant Conditioning Protocol

Learning behavior in rat offspring after in utero and lactational exposure to either TCDD or PCB126

A rat model of neurobehavioral sensitization to toluene

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