Risk-Based Decision Making: A Systematic Scoping Review of Animal Models and a Pilot Study on the Effects of Sleep...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Animal Behavior
• Decision Science

Background:

• Risk and uncertainty are integral to decision-making in humans and animals.
• Short sleep duration is linked to increased risk-taking in humans.
• Understanding animal models of decision-making under risk is crucial for mechanistic insights, yet data on sleep's role is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of existing animal models for risk-based decision-making.
• To investigate the impact of sleep deprivation on risk preference in a rodent model.

Main Methods:

• A systematic scoping review identified animal models for risk-based decision-making across species.
• A pilot study utilized a probability discounting task with male Wistar rats, involving a safe (guaranteed reward) and a risky (variable reward) lever.
• Sleep deprivation (12 hours during the light phase) was administered to assess its effect on decision-making.

Main Results:

• The systematic review identified models in rodents, non-human primates, birds, pigs, and honeybees, discussing task designs and validity.
• Rats demonstrated adaptive preference shifts based on reward probabilities (p < 0.001).
• Sleep deprivation did not significantly alter the rats' risk preference (p = 0.21).

Conclusions:

• Established animal models exist for studying risk-based decision-making.
• In this specific paradigm, 12-hour sleep deprivation did not demonstrably affect risk preference in male Wistar rats.