Behavioral representation of cost and benefit balance in rats
Behavioral representation of cost and benefit balance in rats
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大鼠成本与收益平衡的行为表征
DOI：
10.1016/j.neulet.2016.08.054
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发表时间：
2016
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Bao-Ming Li
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hua Tang;Fei Luo;Si-Hai Li;Bao-Ming Li
决策取决于个人的动机。先前的研究表明，动机水平较高的动物更有可能投入更多的时间来获得更大的奖励，而不是用更少的等待时间获得更小的奖励。然而，对于这种动机是如何调节动物在做出具体决定时所付出的认知努力，我们知之甚少。在本研究中，我们研究了在不同奖励计划下目标导向行为的行为反应，通过训练大鼠执行“做得更多，得到更多”（DM-GM）任务，使用鼻戳操作表，当鼻戳持续时间越长，相应的奖励越大。总体而言，受试者在15天内习得DM-GM规则并达到稳定的行为状态。在训练阶段，大鼠发现了最具成本效益的行动选择，并比其他可能的行动更频繁地按照该准则行事。此外，当成本效益比发生变化时，大鼠再次找到了一个新的最具成本效益的选择来获得最大的奖励。研究结果表明，在大鼠评估系统中存在一个成本与收益的“平衡点”，这个“平衡点”不仅可以指导大鼠做出适当的决策，而且可以在新的情况下修改这个平衡点，选择更新的最优行动方案。
Decision making is dependent upon individual motivation. Previous studies showed that animals with higher levels of motivation are more likely to invest more time to acquire larger rewards rather than acquiring smaller rewards with less time to wait. However, little is known about how this motivation mediates the cognitive effort animals devote upon making said decisions in detail. In the present study, we investigated the behavioral response in a goal-directed action under a differential reward schedule by training rats to perform a “Do more, get more” (DM-GM) task using a nosepoke operandum when longer nosepoke durations resulted in correspondingly larger rewards. In general, the subjects learned this DM-GM rule and reached a steady behavioral state within 15 days. During the training stage, the rats found the most cost-effective action choice and behaved according to that guideline more frequently than other possible actions. In addition, when the cost-benefit ratio changed, the rats again found a new most cost-effective choice to obtain maximum rewards. Our results demonstrate that there is a “balance point” of cost and benefit in rat valuation system and that this “balance point” not only guides the rats to make the appropriate decision, but that this point can be modified upon new situations to choose a newer optimum action plan.