Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2025
09:12
Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
Published on: March 17, 2019
9.4K
Effects of methamphetamine on delay discounting in rats using concurrent chains.
Rebecca Rose Hazel Bodeker1, Randolph C Grace2
1Department of Psychology, Speech, and Hearing, 20 Kirkwood Avenue, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch, 8041, New Zealand. bodekerrebecca@gmail.com.
Learning & Behavior
|November 28, 2024
Summary
Acute methamphetamine reduces impulsive choice in rats by decreasing sensitivity to both reward delay and magnitude. Chronic administration showed no significant effects, suggesting short-term drug use impacts decision-making under changing conditions.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
Background:
- Stimulants impact impulsive choice in delay-discounting tasks.
- Limited understanding exists on how stimulants affect reward magnitude's influence on discounting.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate acute and chronic methamphetamine effects on rats' choice behavior.
- Examine how methamphetamine alters delay discounting and the magnitude effect.
Main Methods:
- Rats responded in a rapid acquisition choice task with unpredictable reward delays.
- Methamphetamine was administered acutely and chronically in increasing doses.
- Delay discounting and magnitude effect were assessed under varying delay and magnitude conditions.
Main Results:
- Baseline performance showed preference for shorter delays and greater choice for larger rewards with longer delays (magnitude effect).
- Acute methamphetamine dose-dependently decreased sensitivity to delay and the magnitude effect.
- Chronic methamphetamine administration did not produce systematic changes in choice behavior.
Conclusions:
- This study first reports a magnitude effect in rats using a rapid acquisition procedure.
- Acute methamphetamine reduces the influence of changing contingencies on choice behavior.
- Methamphetamine's impact on decision-making is dose-dependent and influenced by administration (acute vs. chronic).
