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Frequent reward eliminates differences in activity between hyperkinetic rats and controls
T Sagvolden1, M A Metzger, G Sagvolden
1Department of Neurophysiology, University of Oslo, Norway.
Behavioral and Neural Biology
|May 1, 1993
Summary
Spontaneously hypertensive rats, an animal model for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), show hyperactivity at low reinforcement rates. Increasing reinforcer frequency may help normalize ADHD-like behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Animal Models
Background:
- Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibit hyperactivity and attention deficits, making them a potential animal model for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Altered reinforcement (reward) processes are hypothesized to underlie hyperactivity in SHR and ADHD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare basic reinforcement and response processes between hyperactive SHR and control Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats.
- To elucidate the role of reinforcement schedules in the behavioral differences observed in ADHD models.
Main Methods:
- Behavioral analysis of reinforcement and response rates in SHR and WKY rats under varying schedules of reinforcement.
- Operant conditioning paradigms to assess response maintenance and reinforcement sensitivity.
Main Results:
- Differences in response rates between SHR and WKY rats were observed primarily under conditions of infrequent reinforcement.
- SHR required fewer reinforcers per minute to sustain high response rates compared to WKY rats.
- At high reinforcement rates, asymptotic response rates were similar between the two strains, suggesting strain differences are context-dependent.
Conclusions:
- The heightened responding in SHR at low reinforcement rates may indicate a broader sensitivity to reinforcement, not limited to primary rewards.
- Findings suggest that adjusting reinforcement schedules, specifically increasing frequency, could potentially mitigate ADHD-like behaviors.