A quantitative analysis of the effects of qualitatively different reinforcers on fixed ratio responding in inbred strains of mice.

ABSTRACT: Previous studies of inbred mouse strains have shown reinforcer-strain interactions that may potentially mask differences among strains in memory performance. The present research examined the effects of two qualitatively different reinforcers (heterogeneous mix of flavored pellets and sweetened-condensed milk) on responding maintained by fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement in three inbred strains of mice (BALB/c, C57BL/6, and DBA/2). Responses rates for all strains were a bitonic (inverted U) function of the size of the fixed-ratio schedule and were generally higher when responding was maintained by milk. For the DBA/2 and C57BL/6 and to a lesser extent the BALB/c, milk primarily increased response rates at moderate fixed ratios, but not at the largest fixed ratios tested. A formal mode

SUBMITTER: Hutsell BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3649567 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature