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Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
Published on: March 17, 2019
The Effects of Prelimbic Inhibition on Time-based Intervention and Impulsive Choice
Maxwell J McLeod1, Kelsey Panfil2, Lexe West2
1Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University, 190 N. Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Abstract:
Impulsive choice is the suboptimal preference for a smaller-sooner (SS, "impulsive") option over a larger-later (LL, "self-controlled") option. Fixed-interval (FI) training delivers delayed-reinforcement trials to increase LL choices and improve FI timing precision. While there are plenty of studies exploring the neurobiological factors underlying impulsive choice, it is unknown what neurobiological changes account for the FI training effects. The prelimbic cortex (PL) region is implicated in both impulsive choice and timing. To investigate the role of the PL, we used designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (GiDREADDs) to reversibly inhibit the PL during either the FI training phase or the follow-up impulsive choice task in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Compared to a control group, the GiDREADDs rats showed reduced LL choices when CNO was administered during the FI training or impulsive choice tasks. GiDREADDS did not alter response rates or latency to choose. Overall, these data demonstrate that inhibition of the PL increases impulsive choice and may block the effect of the FI training to improve self-control.
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