Event Title
Impulsivity Testing Through a Modified Delay-Discounting Task
Faculty Mentor
Kristina Dandy
Keywords
Kristina Dandy
Abstract
With rats as subjects, impulsivity is commonly assessed using delay-discounting tasks (Evenden & Ryan, 1996). The current study modified a delay-discounting nose-poke procedure written by Doremus-Fitzwater, Barreto, and Spear (2012) to function as an operant lever-pressing procedure. Doremus-Fitzwater and colleagues (2012) designed their nose-poke procedure which allowed training and testing to be completed in adolescence before rats aged into adulthood. In the current study, 6 Sprague-Dawley rats are being assessed for impulsivity using this modified procedure. With many current delay-discounting procedures, rats require weeks, and sometimes months, of testing to reach stability. However, if the current task functions successfully then training and testing can be completed in 12 days, which would allow for more novel investigations of delay-discounting. This study is currently in progress, with an estimated completion date of March 5th.
Session Name:
Poster Presentation Session #1 - Poster #47
Start Date
4-4-2014 11:30 AM
End Date
4-4-2014 12:15 PM
Location
HSB 3rd Floor Student Commons
Impulsivity Testing Through a Modified Delay-Discounting Task
HSB 3rd Floor Student Commons
With rats as subjects, impulsivity is commonly assessed using delay-discounting tasks (Evenden & Ryan, 1996). The current study modified a delay-discounting nose-poke procedure written by Doremus-Fitzwater, Barreto, and Spear (2012) to function as an operant lever-pressing procedure. Doremus-Fitzwater and colleagues (2012) designed their nose-poke procedure which allowed training and testing to be completed in adolescence before rats aged into adulthood. In the current study, 6 Sprague-Dawley rats are being assessed for impulsivity using this modified procedure. With many current delay-discounting procedures, rats require weeks, and sometimes months, of testing to reach stability. However, if the current task functions successfully then training and testing can be completed in 12 days, which would allow for more novel investigations of delay-discounting. This study is currently in progress, with an estimated completion date of March 5th.