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Amphetamine affects the start of responding in the peak interval timing task
Kathleen M Taylor1, Jon C Horvitz, Peter D Balsam
1Department of Psycology, Barnard College, New York, NY 10027, United States. ktaylor@barnard.edu
Behavioural Processes
|January 16, 2007
Summary
Amphetamine alters response timing in rats during fixed interval schedules. While Gaussian fits suggested earlier reinforcement times, individual trial analysis revealed earlier initiation but not earlier cessation of responding.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
- Operant conditioning
Background:
- Fixed interval (FI) schedules of reinforcement are used to study timing behavior.
- Amphetamine is a psychostimulant known to affect motor activity and reinforcement learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of amphetamine on response timing in a fixed interval (FI-24) task with peak trials.
- To compare two analytical methods for characterizing response timing: Gaussian curve fitting and single trial analysis.
Main Methods:
- Rats were trained on an FI-24 schedule with 96-second peak trials.
- Amphetamine was administered at doses of 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg for four consecutive days.
- Response data during peak trials were analyzed using Gaussian distribution fitting and single trial analysis (start/stop times).
Main Results:
- Amphetamine significantly decreased peak times when analyzed with Gaussian curve fitting.
- Single trial analysis showed that amphetamine caused rats to initiate responding earlier but not stop responding earlier.
- The two analytical methods yielded different characterizations of amphetamine's effects on response timing.
Conclusions:
- Individual trial analysis provides a more precise characterization of amphetamine's effects on response timing compared to Gaussian fitting of average performance.
- Amphetamine appears to primarily affect the initiation of timed responses rather than their cessation.
