Lever Insertion as a Salient Stimulus Promoting Insensitivity to Outcome Devaluation.

ABSTRACT: Flexible and efficient decision-making in complex environments can be achieved through constant interactions between the goal-directed and habitual systems. While goal-directed behavior is considered dependent upon Response-Outcome (R-O) associations, habits instead rely on Stimulus-Response (S-R) associations. However, the stimuli that support the S-R association underlying habitual responding in typical instrumental procedures are poorly defined. To resolve this issue, we designed a discrete-trials procedure, in which rats must wait for lever insertion and complete a sequence of five lever presses to obtain a reward (20% sucrose or grain-based pellets). Lever insertion thus constituted an audio-visual stimulus signaling the opportunity for reward. Using sensory-specific satiety-induced d

SUBMITTER: Vandaele Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5623688 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature