The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance

Foakes, Callum; Lawrence-Sidebottom, Darian; Dralega, Aseru T.; Harvey, Daniel O.; Schmidt, Michelle; Davis, Christopher J.

doi:10.1016/j.nbscr.2022.100081

Cited by 1 publication

(4 citation statements)

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“…Overall, our hypothesis that sleep loss confers cognitive rigidity was supported. This is consistent with other findings from animal ( Karatsoreos et al, 2011 ; Foakes et al, 2022 ) and human research ( Whitney et al, 2015 , 2017 ; Honn et al, 2019 ; Lawrence-Sidebottom et al, 2020 ). Our findings also show that the touchscreen operant platform and the relatively simple pairwise discrimination reversal paradigm is appropriate for characterizing the effects of SD on adaptive decision making.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…First, the pairwise discrimination task presents preference equivalent stimuli (viz visual images). When stimuli are not matched with preference it can bias discrimination 10.3389/fnsys.2022.1052441 outcomes (Antunes and Biala, 2012;Lee et al, 2013;Foakes et al, 2022). Second, as an operant paradigm, the pairwise discrimination task utilizes appetitive instead of aversive performance incentives, which can lead to stress and adverse emotional states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To this end, both primate ( Smith et al, 1999 ; Lee et al, 2007 ) and rodent ( Floresco et al, 2009 ; Klanker et al, 2013 ; Graybeal et al, 2014 ; Hurtubise and Howland, 2017 ; Radke et al, 2019 ; Bergstrom et al, 2020 ; Epp et al, 2021 ; Kipp et al, 2021 ; Lhost et al, 2021 ; Pham et al, 2022 ) models of cognitive flexibility have been employed and provide mechanistic explanation of post-reversal performance. However, research on the effects of SD on rodent cognitive flexibility is sparse and even contradictory ( Karatsoreos et al, 2011 ; Walsh et al, 2011 ; Leenaars et al, 2012 ; Foakes et al, 2022 ). Previous research has demonstrated how SD can decrease rats’ ability to suppress action during a “no-go” stimulus ( Borquez et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in the pairwise discrimination task, the implementation of correction trials, where stimulus presentation following an incorrect response is unchanged until a correct response is made, allows detection of post-reversal response stagnation. The settings and versatility of the task together with the findings of Karatsoreos et al (2011) and Foakes et al (2022) , merits the hypothesis that SD prior to reversal will induce cognitive rigidity as evidenced by performance decrements in terms of response perseveration of previously correct responses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Image discrimination reversal learning is impaired by sleep deprivation in rats: Cognitive rigidity or fatigue?

Strobel

Schmidt

Harvey

et al. 2022

Front. Syst. Neurosci.

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IntroductionInsufficient sleep is pervasive worldwide, and its toll on health and safety is recapitulated in many settings. It is thus important to understand how poor sleep affects the brain and decision making. A robust literature documents the adverse effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive processes including cognitive flexibility, which is the capacity to appraise new feedback and make behavioral adjustments to respond appropriately. Animal models are often used to unravel the molecules, genes and neural circuits that are altered by sleep loss. Herein we take a translational approach to model the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive rigidity, i.e., impaired cognitive flexibility in rats.MethodsThere are several approaches to assess cognitive rigidity; in the present study, we employ a pairwise discrimination reversal task. To our knowledge this is the first time this paradigm has been used to investigate sleep deprivation. In this touchscreen operant platform, we trained rats to select one of two images to claim a sucrose pellet reward. If the non-rewarded image was selected the rats proceeded to a correction trial where both images were presented in the same position as before. This image presentation continued until the rat selected the correct image. Once rats reached performance criteria, the reward contingencies were reversed. In one group of rats the initial reversal session was preceded by 10 h of sleep deprivation. We compared those rats to controls with undisturbed sleep on the number of sessions to reach performance criteria, number of trials per session, response latencies, correct responses, errors, perseverative errors and perseveration bouts in the initial training and reversal phases.ResultsWe report that on reversal session one, sleep deprived rats completed a fraction of the trials completed by controls. On subsequent reversal sessions, the sleep deprived rats struggled to adapt to the reversed contingencies despite completing a similar number of trials, suggesting an effect of cognitive rigidity separate from fatigue.DiscussionWe discuss the delayed performance dynamics incurred by sleep loss in the context of fatigue and the implications of using pairwise discrimination reversal as a model to further examine the effects of sleep loss on adaptive decision making.

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