A Behavioral Paradigm to Study Rats Dual-Task Performance under Head-Direction and Body-Location Tracking
A Behavioral Paradigm to Study Rats Dual-Task Performance under Head-Direction and Body-Location Tracking
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研究大鼠在头部方向和身体位置跟踪下双任务表现的行为范式
DOI：
10.1002/ecj.11985
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发表时间：
2017
影响因子：
0.3
通讯作者：
SUZUKI TAKAFUMI
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
MATSUO KOHEI;KAIJU TARO;NAKAZONO TOMOAKI;WATANABE KEI;SUZUKI TAKAFUMI
双任务范式是一种行为程序，其中要求受试者并行执行两个独立的任务，每个任务都涉及导致唯一目标的不同刺激-反应关联。虽然双重任务在人类研究中被广泛使用，但它们很少用于动物。一个罕见的例子是大鼠同时时间处理（STP）任务，其中大鼠被要求同时计时两个不同的时间间隔。然而，在这种范式中有一些限制，例如，两个组成任务中的每一个都没有明确地与独特的刺激-反应关联相关联。在这份报告中，为了更好地表征大鼠的时间双任务表现，我们开发了一种修改版的STP任务，包括两个明确划分的组件任务，并为我们的实验系统配备了一种新的基于视频的运动跟踪系统。我们表明，即使在这种更严格控制的双重任务设置下，大鼠也能够在几乎没有干扰的情况下对两个不同的时间间隔进行计时，并且我们的跟踪系统可以同时检测大鼠的头部方向和身体位置，具有高精度。这些结果表明，目前的实验范式应该是有用的调查认知过程的基础双任务性能在行为和神经元水平。
Dual‐task paradigm is a behavioral procedure in which subjects are required to perform two independent tasks in parallel, each of which involves a distinct stimulus–response association that leads to a unique goal. Although dual tasks are widely used in human studies, they are seldom used in animals. One such rare case was a rat simultaneous temporal processing (STP) task, in which rats were asked to time two different intervals simultaneously . However, there are a few limitations in this paradigm, such that, for example, each of two component tasks was not clearly associated with a unique stimulus–response association. In this report, in order to better characterize temporal dual‐task performance in rats, we developed a modified version of the STP task that comprised two clearly divided component tasks, and equipped our experimental system with a novel video‐based motion tracking system. We show that even under this more rigidly controlled dual‐task setting, rats are able to time two different intervals virtually without interference, and that our tracking system can simultaneously detect head‐direction and body‐location of a rat with high accuracy. These results suggest that the present experimental paradigm should be useful for investigating cognitive processes that underlie dual‐task performance at both the behavioral and neuronal levels.