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
Pavlovian-Instrumental Transfer Test
Objective: Measurement of positive transfer effects from Pavlovian conditioned stimuli on instrumental performance, and examination of nucleus accumbens core and shell involvement in instrumental conditioning and Pavlovian-instrumental transfer
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Protocol Steps
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 although rate of acquisition and overall response rates in core-lesioned animals were depressed relative to shell- or sham-lesioned animals
View evidence from paper
“Rats were food deprived and trained to press two levers, one delivering food pellets and the other a sucrose solution”
Outcome Devaluation Test
Post-training devaluation of one of the two outcomes using a specific satiety procedure to assess selective reduction in performance on the lever that delivered the prefed outcome
Note: In shell- and sham-lesioned rats, this produced selective reduction in performance on the lever delivering the prefed outcome. Core-lesioned rats failed to show selective devaluation effect and reduced responding on both levers
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”
Pavlovian Conditioning
Conditioning procedure to establish Pavlovian associations prior to transfer testing
Note: Core lesions did not have marked effect on Pavlovian conditioning
View evidence from paper
“the core lesions did not have any marked effect on Pavlovian conditioning”
Pavlovian-Instrumental Transfer Test
Test to measure positive transfer effects from Pavlovian conditioned stimuli on instrumental performance
Note: Shell-lesioned rats showed no deficit in instrumental conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning but failed to show any positive transfer in the Pavlovian-instrumental transfer test. Core lesions did not have marked effect on Pavlovian-instrumental transfer
View evidence from paper
“shell-lesioned rats showed no deficit in any test of instrumental conditioning or in Pavlovian conditioning, they failed to show any positive transfer in the Pavlovian-instrumental transfer test”
Contingency Degradation Test
Test to assess encoding of instrumental action-outcome contingencies
Note: Core lesions did not impair ability to encode instrumental action-outcome contingencies
View evidence from paper
“degradation of the instrumental contingency”
Outcome Discrimination and Recall Assessment
Tests to verify core-lesioned rats could recall devalued outcome and discriminate between the two outcomes
Note: Core lesions did not impair ability to recall devalued outcome or discriminate outcomes
View evidence from paper
“the core lesions were not caused by an impairment in their ability to recall the devalued outcome, to discriminate the two outcomes”