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Ishiwari K, King CP, Martin CD, Tripi JA, George AM, Lamparelli AC, Chitre AS, Polesskaya O, Richards JB, Solberg Woods LC, Gancarz AM, Palmer AA, Dietz DM, Mitchell SH, Meyer PJ. Environmental enrichment promotes adaptive responding during tests of behavioral regulation in male heterogeneous stock rats. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4182. [PMID: 38378969 PMCID: PMC10879139 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53943-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Organisms must regulate their behavior flexibly in the face of environmental challenges. Failure can lead to a host of maladaptive behavioral traits associated with a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and substance use disorders. This maladaptive dysregulation of behavior is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. For example, environmental enrichment produces beneficial neurobehavioral effects in animal models of such disorders. The present study determined the effects of environmental enrichment on a range of measures related to behavioral regulation using a large cohort of male, outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats as subjects. Subjects were reared from late adolescence onwards either in pairs in standard housing with minimal enrichment (n = 200) or in groups of 16 in a highly enriched environment consisting of a large multi-level cage filled with toys, running wheels, and shelters (n = 64). Rats were subjected to a battery of tests, including: (i) locomotor response to novelty, (ii) light reinforcement, (iii) social reinforcement, (iv) reaction time, (v) a patch-depletion foraging test, (vi) Pavlovian conditioned approach, (vii) conditioned reinforcement, and (viii) cocaine conditioned cue preference. Results indicated that rats housed in the enriched environment were able to filter out irrelevant stimuli more effectively and thereby regulate their behavior more efficiently than standard-housing rats. The dramatic impact of environmental enrichment suggests that behavioral studies using standard housing conditions may not generalize to more complex environments that may be more ethologically relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Ishiwari
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Christopher P King
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Connor D Martin
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jordan A Tripi
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Anthony M George
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | | | - Apurva S Chitre
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Oksana Polesskaya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jerry B Richards
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, Center on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Amy M Gancarz
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - David M Dietz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Suzanne H Mitchell
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Paul J Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
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Anderson MAB, Cox DJ, Dallery J. Effects of economic context and reward amount on delay and probability discounting. J Exp Anal Behav 2023; 120:204-213. [PMID: 37311053 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Steep delay and shallow probability discounting are associated with myriad problem behaviors; thus, it is important to understand factors that influence the degree of discounting. The present study evaluated the effects of economic context and reward amount on delay and probability discounting. Two hundred thirteen undergraduate psychology students completed four delay- or probability-discounting tasks. Participants were exposed to hypothetical narratives involving four bank amounts ($750, $12,000, $125,000, and $2,000,000). The delayed/probabilistic amount was $3,000 for the two smaller bank amounts and $500,000 for the two larger bank amounts. The discounting tasks included five delays to, or probabilities of, receipt of the larger amount. The area under the empirical discounting function was calculated for each participant. Participants discounted delayed and uncertain outcomes more when the bank amount was smaller than the outcome (i.e., the economic context was low). Participants discounted the delayed larger amounts less than delayed smaller amounts, even when the relative economic context was the same. In contrast, probability discounting did not differ across magnitudes, which suggests that economic context may attenuate the magnitude effect in probability discounting. The results further highlight the importance of considering the economic context in delay and probability discounting.
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Ishiwari K, King CP, Martin CD, Tripi JA, George AM, Lamparelli AC, Chitre A, Polesskaya O, Richards JB, Woods LCS, Gancarz A, Palmer AA, Dietz DM, Mitchell SH, Meyer PJ. Environmental enrichment promotes adaptive responding during tests of behavioral regulation in male heterogeneous stock rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.30.547228. [PMID: 37503161 PMCID: PMC10369912 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.30.547228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Organisms must regulate their behavior flexibly in the face of environmental challenges. Failure can lead to a host of maladaptive behavioral traits associated with a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and substance use disorders. This maladaptive dysregulation of behavior is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. For example, environmental enrichment produces beneficial neurobehavioral effects in animal models of such disorders. The present study determined the effects of environmental enrichment on a range of measures related to behavioral regulation using a large cohort of male, outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats as subjects to mimic the genetic variability found in the human population. Subjects were reared from late adolescence onwards either in pairs in standard housing with minimal enrichment (n=200) or in groups of 16 in a highly enriched environment consisting of a large multi-level cage filled with toys, running wheels, and shelters (n=64). Rats were subjected to a battery of tests, including: (i) locomotor response to novelty, (iI) light reinforcement, (iii) social reinforcement, (iv) reaction time, (v) a patch-depletion foraging test, (vi) Pavlovian conditioned approach, (vii) conditioned reinforcement, and (viii) cocaine conditioned cue preference. Results indicated that rats housed in the enriched environment were able to filter out irrelevant stimuli more effectively and thereby regulate their behavior more efficiently than standard-housing rats. The dramatic impact of environmental enrichment suggests that behavioral studies using standard housing conditions may not generalize to more complex environments that may be more ethologically relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Ishiwari
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Christopher P. King
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Connor D. Martin
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jordan A. Tripi
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Anthony M. George
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | | | - Apurva Chitre
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Oksana Polesskaya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jerry B. Richards
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Leah C. Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, Center on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Amy Gancarz
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Bakersfield, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Abraham A. Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - David M. Dietz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Suzanne H. Mitchell
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Paul J. Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
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Yates JR, Ellis AL, Evans KE, Kappesser JL, Lilly KM, Mbambu P, Sutphin TG. Pair housing, but not using a controlled reinforcer frequency procedure, attenuates the modulatory effect of probability presentation order on amphetamine-induced changes in risky choice. Behav Brain Res 2020; 390:112669. [PMID: 32417278 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Probability discounting is often measured with independent schedules. Independent schedules have several limitations, such as confounding preference for one alternative with frequency of reward presentation and generating ceiling/floor effects at certain probabilities. To address this potential caveat, a controlled reinforcer frequency schedule can be used, in which the manipulandum that leads to reinforcement is pseudo-randomly determined before each trial. This schedule ensures subjects receive equal presentations of the small and large magnitude reinforcers across each block of trials. A total of 24 pair-housed and 11 individually housed female Sprague Dawley rats were tested in a controlled reinforcer frequency procedure. For half of the rats, the odds against (OA) receiving the large magnitude reinforcer increased across the session (ascending schedule); the OA decreased across the session for half of the rats (descending schedule). Following training, rats received treatments of amphetamine (AMPH; 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg; s.c.). For pair-housed rats, AMPH (0.5 mg/kg) increased risky choice, regardless of probability presentation order, whereas a higher dose of AMPH (1.0 mg/kg) decreased discriminability of reinforcer magnitude for rats trained on the descending schedule only. For individually housed rats, probability presentation order modulated the effects of AMPH on probability discounting, as AMPH (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) increased risky choice in rats trained on the ascending schedule but not on the descending schedule. These results show that pair-housing animals, but not using a controlled reinforcer frequency procedure, attenuates the modulatory effects of probability presentation order on drug effects on risky choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin R Yates
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Kentucky University, 1 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY, 41099, USA.
| | - Alexis L Ellis
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Kentucky University, 1 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY, 41099, USA
| | - Karson E Evans
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Kentucky University, 1 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY, 41099, USA
| | - Joy L Kappesser
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, 1 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY, 41099, USA
| | - Kadyn M Lilly
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Kentucky University, 1 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY, 41099, USA
| | - Prodiges Mbambu
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Kentucky University, 1 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY, 41099, USA
| | - Tanner G Sutphin
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Kentucky University, 1 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY, 41099, USA
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