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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
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Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
Published on: March 17, 2019
Delay discounting and impulsive choice in the rat.
1Department of Experimental Psychology and the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Current Protocols in Neuroscience
|April 23, 2008
Summary
This study details how rats make choices between immediate and delayed rewards. Understanding delay discounting in rats helps research the neural basis of impulsive choice.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Delay discounting describes how immediate rewards are preferred over delayed ones.
- Impulsive choice involves a preference for immediate rewards, even if delayed rewards are better.
- Delay discounting paradigms are increasingly used to study the neural circuitry of impulsive choice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a method for assessing impulsive choice in rats using a delay discounting procedure.
- To provide insights into the physiological, pharmacological, and behavioral aspects of impulsive choice.
Main Methods:
- An operant response choice task was used in rats.
- The task involved choosing between a small, immediate reinforcer and a larger, delayed reinforcer.
- The delay to the larger reinforcer was progressively increased within a session.
Main Results:
- The study describes the assessment of impulsive choice using this delay discounting procedure.
- Variations in task parameters and their interpretations are discussed.
Conclusions:
- The described delay discounting procedure is a valuable tool for studying impulsive choice in rats.
- This method aids in understanding the neural underpinnings of decision-making under conditions of delayed reward.
