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Effects of quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the nucleus accumbens core on inter-temporal choice: a quantitative
G Bezzina1, T H C Cheung, K Asgari
1Psychopharmacology Section, Division of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham, Room B109 Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Rationale:
There is evidence that lesions of the nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) promote preference for smaller earlier reinforcers over larger delayed reinforcers in inter-temporal choice paradigms. It is not known whether this reflects an effect of the lesion on the rate of delay discounting, on sensitivity to reinforcer magnitude, or both.
Aim:
We examined the effect of AcbC lesions on inter-temporal choice using a quantitative method that allows effects on delay discounting to be distinguished from effects on sensitivity to reinforcer size.
Materials And Methods:
Sixteen rats received bilateral quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the AcbC; 14 received sham lesions. They were trained under a discrete-trials progressive delay schedule to press two levers (A and B) for a sucrose solution. Responses on A delivered 50 microl of the solution after a delay d(A); responses on B delivered 100 microl after d(B). d(B) increased across blocks of trials, while d(A) was manipulated across phases of the experiment. Indifference delay d(B(50)) (value of d(B) corresponding to 50% choice of B) was estimated in each phase, and linear indifference functions (d(B(50)) vs d(A)) derived.
Results:
d(B(50)) increased linearly with d(A) (r(2) > 0.95 in each group). The intercept of the indifference function was lower in the lesioned than the sham-lesioned group; slope did not differ between groups. The lesioned rats had extensive neuronal loss in the AcbC.
Conclusions:
The results confirm that lesions of the AcbC promote preference for smaller, earlier reinforcers and suggest that this reflects an effect of the lesion on the rate of delay discounting.
