Impulsive responding on the peak-interval procedure

An open-source behavior controller for associative learning and memory (B-CALM)

Associative learning and memory, i.e., learning and remembering the associations between environmental stimuli, self-generated actions, and outcomes such as rewards or punishments, are critical for the well-being of animals. Hence, the neural mechanisms underlying these processes are extensively studied using behavioral tasks in laboratory animals. Traditionally, these tasks have been controlled using commercial hardware and software, which limits scalability and accessibility due to their cost. More recently, due to the revolution in microcontrollers or microcomputers, several general-purpose and open-source solutions have been advanced for controlling neuroscientific behavioral tasks. While these solutions have great strength due to their flexibility and general-purpose nature, for the same reasons, they suffer from some disadvantages including the need for considerable programming expertise, limited online visualization, or slower than optimal response latencies for any specific task. Here, to mitigate these concerns, we present an open-source behavior controller for associative learning and memory (B-CALM). B-CALM provides an integrated suite that can control a host of associative learning and memory behaviors. As proof of principle for its applicability, we show data from head-fixed mice learning Pavlovian conditioning, operant conditioning, discrimination learning, as well as a timing task and a choice task. These can be run directly from a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) written in MATLAB that controls many independently running Arduino Mega microcontrollers in parallel (one per behavior box). In sum, B-CALM will enable researchers to execute a wide variety of associative learning and memory tasks in a scalable, accurate, and user-friendly manner.

Timing and delay discounting in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A translational approach

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that often presents with abnormal time perception and increased impulsive choice behavior. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is the most widely used preclinical model of the ADHD-Combined and ADHD-Hyperactive/Impulsive subtypes of the disorder. However, when testing the spontaneously hypertensive rat from Charles River (SHR/NCrl) on timing and impulsive choice tasks, the appropriate control strain is not clear, and it is possible that one of the possible control strains, the Wistar Kyoto from Charles River (WKY/NCrl), is an appropriate model for ADHD-Predominately Inattentive. Our goals were to test the SHR/NCrl, WKY/NCrl, and Wistar (WI; the progenitor strain for the SHR/NCrl and WKY/NCrl) strains on time perception and impulsive choice tasks to assess the validity of SHR/NCrl and WKY/NCrl as models of ADHD, and the validity of the WI strain as a control. We also sought to assess impulsive choice behavior in humans diagnosed with the three subtypes of ADHD and compare them with our findings from the preclinical models. We found SHR/NCrl rats timed faster and were more impulsive than WKY/NCrl and WI rats, and human participants diagnosed with ADHD were more impulsive compared to controls, but there were no differences between the three ADHD subtypes.

Increased vulnerability to impulsive behavior after streptococcal antigen exposure and antibiotic treatment in rats

RATIONALE

The inflammation induced by Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection has been viewed as a vulnerability factor in mental disorders characterized by inhibitory control deficits, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Antibiotic treatment reduces GAS symptoms; however, its effects on impulsivity have not been fully assessed.

OBJECTIVES

We investigated whether GAS exposure during early adolescence might be a vulnerability factor for adult impulsivity, if antibiotic treatment acts as a protective factor, and whether these differences are accompanied by changes in the inflammatory cytokine frontostriatal regions.

METHODS

Male Wistar rats were exposed to the GAS antigen or to vehicle plus adjuvants at postnatal day (PND) 35 (with two boosts), and they received either ampicillin (supplemented in the drinking water) or water alone from PND35 to PND70. Adult impulsivity was assessed using two different models, the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRT task) and the delay discounting task (DDT). The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-17 were measured in the prefrontal cortex (PFc), and the tumor necrosis factor α levels (TNFα) were measured in the PFc and nucleus accumbens (NAcc).

RESULTS

GAS exposure and ampicillin treatment increased the waiting impulsivity by a higher number of premature responses when the animals were challenged by a long intertrial interval during the 5-CSRT task. The GAS exposure revealed higher impulsive choices at the highest delay (40 s) when tested by DDT, while coadministration with ampicillin prevented the impulsive choice. GAS exposure and ampicillin reduced the IL-6 and IL-17 levels in the PFc, and ampicillin treatment increased the TNFα levels in the NAcc. A regression analysis revealed a significant contribution of GAS exposure and TNFα levels to the observed effects.

CONCLUSIONS

GAS exposure and ampicillin treatment induced an inhibitory control deficit in a different manner depending on the form of impulsivity measured here, with inflammatory long-term changes in the PFc and NAcc that might increase the vulnerability to impulsivity-related neuropsychiatric disorders.

Interval timing deficits and their neurobiological correlates in aging mice

Age-related neurobiological and cognitive alterations suggest that interval timing (as a related function) is also altered in aging, which can, in turn, disrupt timing-dependent functions. We investigated alterations in interval timing with aging and accompanying neurobiological changes. We tested 4-6, 10-12, and 18-20 month-old mice on the dual peak interval procedure. Results revealed a specific deficit in the termination of timed responses (stop-times). The decision processes contributed more to timing variability (vs. clock/memory process) in the aged mice. We observed age-dependent reductions in the number of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA and SNc, cholinergic neurons in the medial septum/diagonal band (MS/DB) complex, and density of dopaminergic axon terminals in the DLS/DMS. Negative correlations were found between the number of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA and stop times, and the number of cholinergic neurons in MS/DB complex and the acquisition of stop times. Our results point at age-dependent changes in the decisional components of interval timing and the role of dopaminergic and cholinergic functions in these behavioral alterations.

The hippocampus contributes to temporal duration memory in the context of event sequences: A cross-species perspective

Although a large body of research has implicated the hippocampus in the processing of memory for temporal duration, there is an exigent degree of inconsistency across studies that obfuscates the precise contributions of this structure. To shed light on this issue, the present review article surveys both historical and recent cross-species evidence emanating from a wide variety of experimental paradigms, identifying areas of convergence and divergence. We suggest that while factors such as time-scale (e.g. the length of durations involved) and the nature of memory processing (e.g. prospective vs. retrospective memory) are very helpful in the interpretation of existing data, an additional important consideration is the context in which the duration information is experienced and processed, with the hippocampus being preferentially involved in memory for durations that are embedded within a sequence of events. We consider the mechanisms that may underpin temporal duration memory and how the same mechanisms may contribute to memory for other aspects of event sequences such as temporal order.

Effect of Schedule-Induced Behavior on Responses of Spontaneously Hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto Rats in a Delay-Discounting Task: A Preliminary Report

Delay discounting is the loss of the subjective value of an outcome as the time to its delivery increases. It has been suggested that organisms can become more tolerant of this delay when engaging in schedule-induced behaviors. Schedule-induced behaviors are those that develop at a high rate during intermittent reinforcement schedules without the need of arranged contingency to the reinforcer, and they have been considered as a model of compulsivity. There is evidence that relates compulsivity to greater delay discounting. The rate of delay discounting represents how impulsive the subject is, as the rate of discounting increases the higher the impulsivity. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to undertake a preliminary evaluation of whether developing schedule-induced behaviors affects performance in a delay-discounting task, by comparing spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. The rats were exposed to a task that consisted of presenting the subjects with two levers: one produced a small, immediate food reinforcer while the other one produced a larger, delayed reinforcer. During Condition A, the levers were presented, and a water bottle and a running wheel were available in the conditioning chambers; during Condition B, only the levers were presented. SHR and WKY rats developed schedule-induced behaviors during Condition A and showed no difference in discounting rates, contradicting previous reports. Lick allocation during response-reinforcer delays and the inter-trial interval (ITI) showed, respectively, pre- and post-food distributions. Discounting rates during Condition B (when rats could not engage in schedule-induced behaviors) did not reach statistical significance difference among strains of animals, although it was observed a tendency for WKY to behave more self-controlled. Likewise it was not found any effect of schedule-induced behavior on discounting rates, however, a tendency for WKY rats to behave more impulsive during access to drink and run seems to tentatively support the idea of schedule-induced behavior as a model of compulsivity in those rats, being impulsivity simply defined as an excess in behavior.

A model for the peak-interval task based on neural oscillation-delimited states

Specific mechanisms underlying how the brain keeps track of time are largely unknown. Several existing computational models of timing reproduce behavioral results obtained with experimental psychophysical tasks, but only a few tackle the underlying biological mechanisms, such as the synchronized neural activity that occurs throughout brain areas. In this paper, we introduce a model for the peak-interval task based on neuronal network properties. We consider that Local Field Potential (LFP) oscillation cycles specify a sequence of states, represented as neuronal ensembles. Repeated presentation of time intervals during training reinforces the connections of specific ensembles to downstream networks - sets of neurons connected to the sequence of states. Later, during the peak-interval procedure, these downstream networks are reactivated by previously experienced neuronal ensembles, triggering behavioral responses at the learned time intervals. The model reproduces experimental response patterns from individual rats in the peak-interval procedure, satisfying relevant properties such as the Weber law. Finally, we provide a biological interpretation of the parameters of the model.

Scopolamine and Medial Frontal Stimulus-Processing during Interval Timing

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) involve loss of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain. Here, we investigate how cholinergic dysfunction impacts the frontal cortex during interval timing, a process that can be impaired in PD and AD patients. Interval timing requires participants to estimate an interval of several seconds by making a motor response, and depends on the medial frontal cortex (MFC), which is richly innervated by basal forebrain cholinergic projections. Past work has shown that scopolamine, a muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist, reliably impairs interval timing. We tested the hypothesis that scopolamine would attenuate time-related ramping, a key form of temporal processing in the MFC. We recorded neuronal ensembles from eight mice during performance of a 12-s fixed-interval timing task, which was impaired by the administration of scopolamine. Consistent with past work, scopolamine impaired timing. To our surprise, we found that time-related ramping was unchanged, but stimulus-related activity was enhanced in the MFC. Principal component analyses revealed no consistent changes in time-related ramping components, but did reveal changes in higher components. Taken together, these data indicate that scopolamine changes stimulus processing rather than temporal processing in the MFC. These data could help understand how cholinergic dysfunction affects cortical circuits in diseases such as PD, DLB, and AD.

Sex differences in the timing behavior performance of 3xTg-AD and wild-type mice in the peak interval procedure

We investigated interval timing behavior of 10-month-old male and female 3xTg-AD mice compared with their B6129F2/J wild type controls using the peak interval procedure with a 15 s target interval. Multiple parameters reflecting different aspects of timing performance were extracted from steady-state anticipatory nose-poking behavior using two different approaches: single trial analyses and average response curve analyses. These measures can dissociate the differences in performance due to distortions in the interval timing ability or to motivational decline (i.e. apathy); both of which have been reported in Alzheimer patients. We found that the interval timing ability of male and female 3xTg-AD mice did not differ from wild-type controls. However, in measures reflecting motivational state, we found significant sex differences regardless of genotype. Specifically, female mice initiated anticipatory responding later in the trial and had lower response amplitudes than males. Although our findings can also be interpreted in terms of differences in temporal control for response initiation, they more strongly suggest the effect of differential incentive motivation between sexes on timing behavior in these mice.

Striatal dopamine and the temporal control of behavior

Striatal dopamine strongly regulates how individuals use time to guide behavior. Dopamine acts on D1- and D2- dopamine receptors in the striatum. However, the relative role of these receptors in the temporal control of behavior is unclear. To assess this, we trained rats on a task in which they decided to start and stop a series of responses based on the passage of time and evaluated how blocking D1 or D2-dopamine receptors in the dorsomedial or dorsolateral striatum impacted performance. D2 blockade delayed the decision to start and stop responding in both regions, and this effect was larger in the dorsomedial striatum. By contrast, dorsomedial D1 blockade delayed stop times, without significantly delaying start times, whereas dorsolateral D1 blockade produced no detectable effects. These findings suggest that striatal dopamine may tune decision thresholds during timing tasks. Furthermore, our data indicate that the dorsomedial striatum plays a key role in temporal control, which may be useful for localizing neural circuits that mediate the temporal control of action.

Differential reinforcement of low rates differentially decreased timing precision

Timing processes have been implicated as potential mechanisms that underlie self-controlled choice. To investigate the impact of an intervention that has been shown to increase self-controlled choice on timing processes, accuracy and precision of temporal discrimination were assessed in an 18-s peak procedure (18-s fixed interval trials; 54-s peak trials). During an intervention phase, mice in three treatment groups experienced differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL) schedules of reinforcement of 27 s, 18 s, or 9 s. A fourth group received continued exposure to the peak procedure. After the DRL intervention, timing was reassessed using the peak procedure. In contrast to previous reports, the DRL intervention resulted in less precise timing as indicated by increased peak spread and disrupted single-trial measures of temporal control. These effects were only detected just after the DRL intervention suggesting a transient effect of DRL exposure on timing. The increase in peak spread in the present experiment suggests delay exposure via DRL schedules may produce a "dose-dependent" effect on temporal discrimination, which may also increase self-controlled choice.

Individual trial analysis evidences clock and non-clock based conditioned suppression behaviors in rats

We analyzed the temporal pattern of conditioned suppression of lever-pressing for food in rats conditioned with tone-shock pairings using either a 10 or 15s conditioned stimulus (CS)-unconditioned stimulus (US) interval with a CS duration that was three times the CS-US interval. The analysis of average suppression and of individual trials was performed during Probe CS-alone trials and when a short gap was inserted during the CS. The pattern of suppression followed the classical temporal rules: (1) scalar property, (2) a shift in peak suppression due to a gap, compatible with a Stop rule, (3) a three-state pattern of lever-pressing in individual trials, with abrupt start and stop of suppression. The peak of the average suppression curve, but not the middle time, was anticipatory to the programmed US time. The pattern of lever-pressing in individual trials unraveled two types of start of suppression behavior: a clock-based biphasic responding, with a burst of lever-pressing before suppression, and a non-clock based monophasic reduction of lever-pressing close to the CS onset. The non-clock based type of behavior may be responsible for the anticipatory peak time, and the biphasic pattern of lever-pressing may reflect the decision stage described in clock models.

TAAR1 Modulates Cortical Glutamate NMDA Receptor Function

Trace Amine-Associated Receptor 1 (TAAR1) is a G protein-coupled receptor expressed in the mammalian brain and known to influence subcortical monoaminergic transmission. Monoamines, such as dopamine, also play an important role within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) circuitry, which is critically involved in high-o5rder cognitive processes. TAAR1-selective ligands have shown potential antipsychotic, antidepressant, and pro-cognitive effects in experimental animal models; however, it remains unclear whether TAAR1 can affect PFC-related processes and functions. In this study, we document a distinct pattern of expression of TAAR1 in the PFC, as well as altered subunit composition and deficient functionality of the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the pyramidal neurons of layer V of PFC in mice lacking TAAR1. The dysregulated cortical glutamate transmission in TAAR1-KO mice was associated with aberrant behaviors in several tests, indicating a perseverative and impulsive phenotype of mutants. Conversely, pharmacological activation of TAAR1 with selective agonists reduced premature impulsive responses observed in the fixed-interval conditioning schedule in normal mice. Our study indicates that TAAR1 plays an important role in the modulation of NMDA receptor-mediated glutamate transmission in the PFC and related functions. Furthermore, these data suggest that the development of TAAR1-based drugs could provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of disorders related to aberrant cortical functions.

Mechanisms of impulsive choice: II. Time-based interventions to improve self-control

Impulsive choice behavior has been proposed as a primary risk factor for other maladaptive behaviors (e.g., gambling, substance abuse). Recent research has suggested that timing processes may play a key role in impulsive choice behavior, and could provide an avenue for altering impulsive choice. Accordingly, the current experiments assessed a set of time-based behavioral interventions to increase self-control while simultaneously assessing effects on timing processes within the impulsive choice task. Three experiments assessed temporal interventions using a differential reinforcement of low rates task (Experiment 1) and exposure to either a variable or fixed interval schedule (Experiments 2-3). The efficacy of the interventions was assessed in Sprague-Dawley (Experiments 1-2) and Lewis (Experiment 3) rat strains. Impulsive choice behavior was assessed by measuring preferences of a smaller-sooner (SS) versus a larger-later (LL) reward, while timing of the SS and LL durations was measured during peak trials within the impulsive choice procedure. The rats showed an increased preference for the LL following all three time-based interventions and also displayed increased temporal precision. These results add to the increasing evidence that supports a possible role for temporal processing in impulsive choice behavior and supply novel behavioral interventions to decrease impulsive behavior.

Revisiting the effect of nicotine on interval timing

This paper reviews the evidence for nicotine-induced acceleration of the internal clock when timing in the seconds-to-minutes timescale, and proposes an alternative explanation to this evidence: that nicotine reduces the threshold for responses that result in more reinforcement. These two hypotheses were tested in male Wistar rats using a novel timing task. In this task, rats were trained to seek food at one location after 8s since trial onset and at a different location after 16s. Some rats received the same reward at both times (group SAME); some received a larger reward at 16s (group DIFF). Steady baseline performance was followed by 3 days of subcutaneous nicotine administration (0.3mg/kg), baseline recovery, and an antagonist challenge (mecamylamine, 1.0mg/kg). Nicotine induced a larger, immediate reduction in latencies to switch (LTS) in group DIFF than in group SAME. This effect was sustained throughout nicotine administration. Mecamylamine pretreatment and nicotine discontinuation rapidly recovered baseline performance. These results support a response-threshold account of nicotinic disruption of timing performance, possibly mediated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. A detailed analysis of the distribution of LTSs suggests that anomalous effects of nicotine on LTS dispersion may be due to loss of temporal control of behavior.

Comparison of interval timing behaviour in mice following dorsal or ventral hippocampal lesions with mice having δ-opioid receptor gene deletion

Mice with cytotoxic lesions of the dorsal hippocampus (DH) underestimated 15 s and 45 s target durations in a bi-peak procedure as evidenced by proportional leftward shifts of the peak functions that emerged during training as a result of decreases in both 'start' and 'stop' times. In contrast, mice with lesions of the ventral hippocampus (VH) displayed rightward shifts that were immediately present and were largely limited to increases in the 'stop' time for the 45 s target duration. Moreover, the effects of the DH lesions were congruent with the scalar property of interval timing in that the 15 s and 45 s functions superimposed when plotted on a relative timescale, whereas the effects of the VH lesions violated the scalar property. Mice with DH lesions also showed enhanced reversal learning in comparison to control and VH lesioned mice. These results are compared with the timing distortions observed in mice lacking δ-opioid receptors (Oprd1(-/-)) which were similar to mice with DH lesions. Taken together, these results suggest a balance between hippocampal-striatal interactions for interval timing and demonstrate possible functional dissociations along the septotemporal axis of the hippocampus in terms of motivation, timed response thresholds and encoding in temporal memory.

Searching for the holy grail: temporally informative firing patterns in the rat

This chapter reviews our work from the past decade investigating cortical and striatal firing patterns in rats while they time intervals in the multi-seconds range. We have found that both cortical and striatal firing rates contain information that the rat can use to identify how much time has elapsed both from trial onset and from the onset of an active response state. I describe findings showing that the striatal neurons that are modulated by time are also modulated by overt behaviors, suggesting that time modulates the strength of motor coding in the striatum, rather than being represented as an abstract quantity in isolation. I also describe work showing that there are a variety of temporally informative activity patterns in pre-motor cortex, and argue that the heterogeneity of these patterns can enhance an organism's temporal estimate. Finally, I describe recent behavioral work from my lab in which the simultaneous cueing of multiple durations leads to a scalar temporal expectation at an intermediate time, providing strong support for a monotonic representation of time.

Nucleus accumbens dopamine modulates response rate but not response timing in an interval timing task

While previous work has demonstrated that systemic dopamine manipulations can modulate temporal perception by altering the speed of internal clock processes, the neural site of this modulation remains unclear. Based on recent research suggesting that changes in incentive salience can alter the perception of time, as well as work showing that nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell dopamine (DA) levels modulate the incentive salience of discriminative stimuli that predict instrumental outcomes, we assessed whether microinjections of DA agents into the NAc shell would impact temporal perception. Rats were trained on either a 10-s or 30-s temporal production procedure and received intra-NAc shell microinfusions of sulpiride, amphetamine, and saline. Results showed that NAc DA modulations had no effect on response timing, but intra-NAc shell sulpiride microinfusions significantly decreased response rates relative to saline and amphetamine. Our findings therefore suggest that neither NAc shell DA levels, nor the resultant changes in incentive salience signaled by this structure, impact temporal control.

A model of interval timing by neural integration

We show that simple assumptions about neural processing lead to a model of interval timing as a temporal integration process, in which a noisy firing-rate representation of time rises linearly on average toward a response threshold over the course of an interval. Our assumptions include: that neural spike trains are approximately independent Poisson processes, that correlations among them can be largely cancelled by balancing excitation and inhibition, that neural populations can act as integrators, and that the objective of timed behavior is maximal accuracy and minimal variance. The model accounts for a variety of physiological and behavioral findings in rodents, monkeys, and humans, including ramping firing rates between the onset of reward-predicting cues and the receipt of delayed rewards, and universally scale-invariant response time distributions in interval timing tasks. It furthermore makes specific, well-supported predictions about the skewness of these distributions, a feature of timing data that is usually ignored. The model also incorporates a rapid (potentially one-shot) duration-learning procedure. Human behavioral data support the learning rule's predictions regarding learning speed in sequences of timed responses. These results suggest that simple, integration-based models should play as prominent a role in interval timing theory as they do in theories of perceptual decision making, and that a common neural mechanism may underlie both types of behavior.

Behavioral sensitivity of temporally modulated striatal neurons

Recent investigations into the neural mechanisms that underlie temporal perception have revealed that the striatum is an important contributor to interval timing processes, and electrophysiological recording studies have shown that the firing rates of striatal neurons are modulated by the time in a trial at which an operant response is made. However, it remains unclear whether striatal firing rate modulations are related to the passage of time alone (i.e., whether temporal information is represented in an “abstract” manner independent of other attributes of biological importance), or whether this temporal information is embedded within striatal activity related to co-occurring contextual information, such as motor behaviors. This study evaluated these two hypotheses by recording from striatal neurons while rats performed a temporal production task. Rats were trained to respond at different nosepoke apertures for food reward under two simultaneously active reinforcement schedules: a variable-interval (VI-15 s) schedule and a fixed-interval (FI-15 s) schedule of reinforcement. Responding during a trial occurred in a sequential manner composing three phases; VI responding, FI responding, VI responding. The vast majority of task-sensitive striatal neurons (95%) varied their firing rates associated with equivalent behaviors (e.g., periods in which their snout was held within the nosepoke) across these behavioral phases, and 96% of cells varied their firing rates for the same behavior within a phase, thereby demonstrating their sensitivity to time. However, in a direct test of the abstract timing hypothesis, 91% of temporally modulated “hold” cells were further modulated by the overt motor behaviors associated with transitioning between nosepokes. As such, these data are inconsistent with the striatum representing time in an “abstract’ manner, but support the hypothesis that temporal information is embedded within contextual and motor functions of the striatum.

The pattern of responding in the peak-interval procedure with gaps: an individual-trials analysis

Humans and lower animals time as if using a stopwatch that can be "stopped" or "reset" on command. This view is challenged by data from the peak-interval procedure with gaps: Unexpected retention intervals (gaps) delay the response function in a seemingly continuous fashion, from stop to reset. We evaluated whether these results are an artifact of averaging over trials, or whether subjects use discrete alternatives or a continuum of alternatives in individual-trials: A Probability-of-Reset hypothesis proposes that in individual gap trials subjects stochastically use discrete alternatives (stop/reset), such that when averaged over trials, the response distribution in gap trials falls in between "stop" and "reset." Alternatively, a Resource Allocation hypothesis proposes that during individual gap trials working memory for the pregap duration decays, such that the response function in individual gap trials is shifted rightward in a continuous fashion. Both hypotheses provided very good fits with the observed individual-trial distributions, although the Resource Allocation hypothesis generated reliably better fits. Results provide support for the usefulness of individual-trial analyses in dissociating theoretical alternatives in interval timing tasks.

A heterogeneous population code for elapsed time in rat medial agranular cortex

The neural mechanisms underlying the temporal control of behavior are largely unknown. Here we recorded from medial agranular cortex neurons in rats while they freely behaved in a temporal production task, the peak-interval procedure. Due to variability in estimating the time of food availability, robust responding typically bracketed the expected duration, starting some time before and ending some time after the signaled delay. These response periods provided analytic "steady state" windows during which subjects actively indicated their temporal expectation of food availability. Remarkably, during these response periods, a variety of firing patterns were seen that could be broadly described as ramps, peaks, and dips, with different slopes, directions, and times at which maxima or minima occur. Regularized linear discriminant analysis indicated that these patterns provided sufficiently reliable information to discriminate the elapsed duration of responding within these response periods. Modeling this across neuron variability showed that the utilization of ramps, dips, and peaks, with different slopes and minimal/maximal rates at different times, led to a substantial improvement in temporal prediction errors, suggesting that heterogeneity in the neural representation of elapsed time may facilitate temporally controlled behavior.

The effect of changes in criterion value on differential reinforcement of low rate schedule performance

The differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL) schedule is commonly used to assess impulsivity, hyperactivity, and the cognitive effects of pharmacological treatments on performance. A DRL schedule requires subjects to wait a certain minimum amount of time between successive responses to receive reinforcement. The DRL criterion value, which specifies the minimum wait time between responses, is often shifted towards increasingly longer values over the course of training. However, the process invoked by shifting DRL values is poorly understood. Experiment 1 compared performance on a DRL 30-s schedule versus a DRL 15-s schedule that was later shifted to a DRL 30-s schedule. Dependent measures assessing interresponse time (IRT) production and reward-earning efficiency showed significant detrimental effects following a DRL schedule transition in comparison with the performance on a maintained DRL 30-s schedule. Experiments 2a and 2b assessed the effects of small incremental changes vs. a sudden large shift in the DRL criterion on performance. The incremental changes produced little to no disruption in performance compared to a sudden large shift. The results indicate that the common practice of incrementing the DRL criterion over sessions may be an inefficient means of training stable DRL performance.

Timing with opportunity cost: concurrent schedules of reinforcement improve peak timing

The temporal generalization gradient produced by the peak-interval (PI) procedure reflects behavior under the control of positive reinforcement for responding after the criterial time, but shows negligible discouragement for early responses. The lack of consequences for premature responding may affect estimates of timing accuracy and precision in the PI procedure. In two experiments, we sought to encourage more accurate timing in pigeons by establishing an opportunity cost for such responding. Concurrent ratio and interval schedules of reinforcement reduced the dispersion of keypecking around the target time. A sequence of three response-rate states (low-high-low) characterized performance in individual trials. Opportunity cost substantially reduced the mean and standard deviation of the duration of the middle-high state that typically enveloped the target time, indicating improved temporal acuity. We suggest a model as a first-order approximation to timing with opportunity cost.

Acquisition of peak responding: what is learned?

We investigated how the common measures of timing performance behaved in the course of training on the peak procedure in C3H mice. Following fixed interval (FI) pre-training, mice received 16 days of training in the peak procedure. The peak time and spread were derived from the average response rates while the start and stop times and their relative variability were derived from a single-trial analysis. Temporal precision (response spread) appeared to improve in the course of training. This apparent improvement in precision was, however, an averaging artifact; it was mediated by the staggered appearance of timed stops, rather than by the delayed occurrence of start times. Trial-by-trial analysis of the stop times for individual subjects revealed that stops appeared abruptly after three to five sessions and their timing did not change as training was prolonged. Start times and the precision of start and stop times were generally stable throughout training. Our results show that subjects do not gradually learn to time their start or stop of responding. Instead, they learn the duration of the FI, with robust temporal control over the start of the response; the control over the stop of response appears abruptly later.

Prenatal choline supplementation alters the timing, emotion, and memory performance (TEMP) of adult male and female rats as indexed by differential reinforcement of low-rate schedule behavior

Choline availability in the maternal diet has a lasting effect on brain and behavior of the offspring. To further delineate the impact of early nutritional status, we examined effects of prenatal-choline supplementation on timing, emotion, and memory performance of adult male and female rats. Rats that were given sufficient choline (CON: 1.1 g/kg) or supplemental choline (SUP: 5.0 g/kg) during embryonic days (ED) 12-17 were trained with a differential reinforcement of low-rate (DRL) schedule that was gradually transitioned through 5-, 10-, 18-, 36-, and 72-sec criterion times. We observed that SUP-females emitted more reinforced responses than CON-females, which were more efficient than both groups of males. In addition, SUP-males and SUP-females exhibited a reduction in burst responding (response latencies <2 sec) compared with both groups of CON rats. Furthermore, despite a reduced level of burst responding, the SUP-males made more nonreinforced responses prior to the DRL criterion as a result of maintaining the previous DRL criterion following transition to a new criterion. In summary, long-lasting effects of prenatal-choline supplementation were exhibited by reduced frustrative DRL responding in conjunction with the persistence of temporal memory in SUP-males and enhanced temporal exploration and response efficiency in SUP-females.

Prenatal choline supplementation increases sensitivity to time by reducing non-scalar sources of variance in adult temporal processing

Choline supplementation of the maternal diet has a long-term facilitative effect on timing and temporal memory of the offspring. To further delineate the impact of early nutritional status on interval timing, we examined effects of prenatal choline supplementation on the temporal sensitivity of adult (6 months) male rats. Rats that were given sufficient choline in their chow (CON: 1.1 g/kg) or supplemental choline added to their drinking water (SUP: 3.5 g/kg) during embryonic days (ED) 12-17 were trained with a peak-interval procedure that was shifted among 75%, 50%, and 25% probabilities of reinforcement with transitions from 18 s-->36 s-->72 s temporal criteria. Prenatal choline supplementation systematically sharpened interval timing functions by reducing the associative/non-temporal response enhancing effects of reinforcement probability on the Start response threshold, thereby reducing non-scalar sources of variance in the left-hand portion of the Gaussian-shaped response functions. No effect was observed for the Stop response threshold as a function of any of these manipulations. In addition, independence of peak time and peak rate was demonstrated as a function of reinforcement probability for both prenatal choline-supplemented and control rats. Overall, these results suggest that prenatal choline supplementation facilitates timing by reducing impulsive responding early in the interval, thereby improving the superimposition of peak functions for different temporal criteria.

Evidence for separate neural mechanisms for the timing of discrete and sustained responses

Methamphetamine (MAP), an indirect dopamine agonist, has been shown to produce a leftward shift in the time of responding under operant response protocols that encourage repetitive responding (e.g., lever pressing). Given the involvement of striatal dopamine activity in the control of discrete motor behavior, as well as in the timing of these responses, an important question arises as to whether a dissociation is possible between changes in the timing of discrete responding and timing of other behaviors. Rats were trained on a modified peak-interval (PI) procedure such that reward was contingent upon the presence of the animal's snout in a nosepoke apparatus at the target time, as an alternative to the typical requirement of a discrete head entry response. Thus spatial selection, but not necessarily motor behavior, at the appropriate time was required to receive a reward. Rats were given MAP in one of 3 doses (0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg/kg), or a saline control injection before PI sessions to determine whether the drug elicits a dose-dependent effect on timing of spatial position, as it has been shown to do for discrete behaviors. Following administration of MAP, the peak time of the proportion of time spent in the nosepoke did not change, while the peak time of the rate of response shifted to the left. Single-trial analysis revealed a similar pattern: Position of response step functions defined by being in the nosepoke did not shift, but step functions based on response rate changed with increasing doses of MAP. These data support a model of multiple timing processes controlling different behaviors, at least one of which is specific to discrete motor behavior and is modifiable by dopamine.