Source Paper
The Effect of Lesions of the Basolateral Amygdala on Instrumental Conditioning
Bernard W. Balleine, A. Simon Killcross, Anthony Dickinson
Journal of Neuroscience • 2003
Lever Pressing and Chain Pulling Acquisition
Objective: Assess the effect of basolateral amygdala (BLA) lesions on acquisition of lever pressing or chain pulling instrumental actions in food-deprived rats earning food pellets or maltodextrin solution
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Equipment1
Not specified • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified
Materials2
Software1
Not specified • Not specified
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Protocol Steps
Experimental Design - Experiment 1
Assess the effect of basolateral amygdala lesions on acquisition of lever pressing or chain pulling in food-deprived rats. Rats earn either food pellets or maltodextrin solution as outcomes.
Note: Lesion had no effect on acquisition but attenuated impact of outcome devaluation on instrumental performance
View evidence from paper
“In experiment 1, the lesion had no effect on the acquisition of either lever pressing or chain pulling in food-deprived rats whether these actions earned food pellets or a maltodextrin solution”
Outcome Devaluation Assessment
Test the impact of outcome devaluation induced by sensory-specific satiety on instrumental performance, assessed both in extinction and when reward was delivered contingent on instrumental performance
Note: Lesioned rats showed attenuated response to outcome devaluation compared to sham controls
View evidence from paper
“The lesion did attenuate, however, the impact of outcome devaluation, induced by sensory-specific satiety, on instrumental performance both when assessed in extinction and when reward was delivered contingent on instrumental performance”
Experimental Design - Experiment 2
Examine ability to encode specific action-outcome contingencies. Test whether lesioned rats adjust performance appropriately when action-outcome contingency is degraded
Note: Lesioned rats failed to adjust performance appropriately when contingency was degraded
View evidence from paper
“lesioned rats failed to adjust their performance appropriately when the action-outcome contingency was degraded”
Experimental Design - Experiment 3
Assess ability to discriminate two instrumental actions using heterogeneous instrumental chain involving both lever pressing and chain pulling
Note: Lesioned rats were similar to shams in acquisition of heterogeneous instrumental chain
View evidence from paper
“lesioned rats were similar to shams in their acquisition of a heterogeneous instrumental chain involving lever pressing and chain pulling”
Experimental Design - Experiment 4
Test ability to use specific properties of instrumental outcomes to discriminate rewarded from unrewarded actions in a free operant discrimination situation
Note: Lesions of BLA produced deficit in ability to use specific outcome properties for discrimination
View evidence from paper
“lesions of the BLA were found to produce a deficit in the ability of rats to use the specific properties of the instrumental outcomes used in the previous experiments to discriminate rewarded from unrewarded actions”