Source Paper
The Role of the Nucleus Accumbens in Instrumental Conditioning: Evidence of a Functional Dissociation between Accumbens Core and Shell
Laura H. Corbit, Janice L. Muir, Bernard W. Balleine
Journal of Neuroscience • 2001
Outcome Devaluation Test
Objective: To measure selective reduction in lever pressing for devalued outcomes using a specific satiety procedure, demonstrating the role of nucleus accumbens subregions in instrumental conditioning and outcome devaluation
Gather these items before starting the experiment. Check off items as you prepare.
Equipment1
Not specified • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified
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Protocol Steps
Food deprivation
Rats were food deprived prior to training
Note: Necessary to motivate lever pressing behavior
View evidence from paper
“Rats were food deprived and trained to press two levers”
Lever-press training
Rats trained to press two levers, one delivering food pellets and the other delivering sucrose solution
Note: All animals acquired the lever-press response, though rate of acquisition and overall response rates varied by lesion group
View evidence from paper
“All animals acquired the lever-press response although the rate of acquisition and overall response rates in core-lesioned animals were depressed”
Specific satiety devaluation procedure
Post-training devaluation of one of the two outcomes using a specific satiety procedure to selectively reduce the value of one outcome
Note: One outcome was prefed to induce satiety and devalue that outcome
View evidence from paper
“post-training devaluation of one of the two outcomes using a specific satiety procedure produced a selective reduction in performance on the lever that, in training, delivered the prefed outcome”
Outcome devaluation test
Test lever pressing performance after devaluation to measure selective reduction in responding for the devalued outcome
Note: Shell- and sham-lesioned rats showed selective reduction on the lever delivering the prefed outcome; core-lesioned rats reduced responding on both levers
View evidence from paper
“In shell- and sham-lesioned rats, post-training devaluation of one of the two outcomes using a specific satiety procedure produced a selective reduction in performance on the lever that, in training, delivered the prefed outcome”