Choice behavior in rats (Rattus norvegicus) with food restriction

• Grant number: 14/21438-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2015
• End date: January 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Andréia Schmidt
• Grantee: Sara Tamiris Cirilo Fernandes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Choice behavior can be understood as the selection of one among two or more alternatives available, different from preference, which is related to the time spent answering one of these alternatives. On research with animals, it is possible to notice that the subjects most often choose the alternative that reinforcement will be available immediately, even in small amount, compared to the alternative in which reinforcement is available only after the animal waiting a period of time determined by the experimenter, although the amount of reinforcement is large. There are no data in the literature about whether a history of food restriction may affect this pattern of choice behavior. The objective of this research is to compare the performance between Sprague-Dawley rats with a history of food restriction and control rats (with ad libitum food) in a choice task, which the alternatives will vary on the amount of reinforcement and the delay for access to the food. Twenty four albino Sprague-Dawley rats from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), divided into two groups will be used. The control group (C) will receive a diet ad lib., while the group defined as restriction (R) will be restricted to 85% of intake for the control diet group. At 70 days old, the animals will go through a subdivision, while in group C half of the animals will form the Control-Restriction group (CR - which will receive 85% of the previously intake diet), and the other half the Control-Control group (CC - which will continue to 100% of the diet). In the R group, half of animals will form the Restriction-Control group (CR - which will receive 100% of the diet), and the other half the Restriction-Restriction group (RR - which will keep receiving 85% of the diet). The procedure is composed of three steps. In step 1, will be held a session with 10 trials in which the animal is allowed to explore a maze in U. In step 2, 10 sessions of 20 trials of forced choice will be performed, being 10 on the left side of the maze, which will be available 6 ration pellet with delay of 4 s, and 10 attempts on his right side, where the animal will have direct access to the feeder, which will be available three pellets food. In step 3, will be conducted 45 sessions with 40 free attempts each, which will be verified the standard choice of the animals from the different groups, depending on the availability of food and the delay in the two alternatives, and also because of an initial time waiting (T time), before the release of the subjects for the alternatives. Will be realized comparison of data of the animals choice obtained from the different groups regarding the variables group, sex and time T. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

FERNANDES, Sara Tamiris Cirilo. Behavior of choice in Sprague-dawley (Rattus norvegicus) rats under food restriction. 2016. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC) Ribeirão Preto.