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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 19, 2026

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

Published on: July 8, 2015

Hippocampus, delay discounting, and vicarious trial-and-error.

David Bett¹, Lauren H Murdoch, Emma R Wood

¹University of Edinburgh, Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems, School of Biomedical Sciences, 10020, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom.

|December 9, 2014

Summary

The hippocampus is not essential for basic delay discounting, but its damage impairs reward magnitude detection and increases behavioral variability in decision-making tasks.

Keywords:

T-maze decision making learning reward temporal discounting

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Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

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Published on: January 9, 2016

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Last Updated: Apr 19, 2026

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

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Published on: July 8, 2015

The Use of Trace Eyeblink Classical Conditioning to Assess Hippocampal Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

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Published on: August 5, 2017

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Published on: January 9, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

Decision-making often involves a preference for immediate rewards over larger, delayed ones, a phenomenon known as temporal discounting.
The role of the hippocampus in temporal discounting and related decision-making processes remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the necessity of the hippocampus for temporal discounting and vicarious trial-and-error (VTE) in rats.
To determine the effect of hippocampus lesions on reward valuation and sensitivity to reward magnitude.

Main Methods:

Rats were trained on an adjustable delay-discounting task involving choices between small, immediate rewards and larger, delayed rewards.
Hippocampus or sham lesions were performed, followed by behavioral testing on the delay-discounting task and a water maze task.
Behavioral measures included adjustment of delay, investigation time, sensitivity to reward amount, and vicarious trial-and-error.

Main Results:

Hippocampus-lesioned rats exhibited similar delay adjustments but spent more time investigating rewards and showed reduced sensitivity to reward magnitude changes.
Both lesioned and sham groups displayed increased VTE when delay was adjusted, with hippocampus lesions leading to greater variability in reward preference.
Hippocampus-lesioned rats were impaired in the water maze task, confirming lesion efficacy.

Conclusions:

The hippocampus is not strictly necessary for the fundamental process of temporal discounting but plays a crucial role in reward magnitude detection.
Hippocampus damage can lead to altered decision-making strategies, increased behavioral variability, and impaired learning in spatial navigation tasks.