Download or read book Neuropsychology of Reinforcement Processes in the Rat written by Rudolf N. Cardinal and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis investigated the role played by regions of the prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum in the control of rats' behaviour by Pavlovian conditioned stimuli, and in their capacity to choose delayed reinforcement. First, the function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in simple Pavlovian conditioning tasks was addressed. The ACC is a subdivision of prefrontal cortex that has previously been suggested to be critical for the formation of stimulus-reward associations. It was found that lesions of the ACC did not prevent rats from learning a simple conditioned approach response to a conditioned stimulus (CS) predictive of food reward, or from utilizing that CS as a conditioned reinforcer subsequently. Additionally, these subjects successfully acquired a conditioned freezing response to a CS predicting footshock. However, the same animals were impaired at the acquisition of autoshaped behaviour, an impairment that has been demonstrated previously. An autoshaping deficit was also observed when lesions were made following training. The phenomenon of Pavlovian-instrumental transfer was intact in these subjects. The hypothesis was developed that the ACC is not critical for the formation of stimulus-reward associations per se, but is critical when multiple stimuli must be discriminated on the basis of their differential association with reward. In support of this hypothesis, animals with lesions of the ACC were impaired on a version of the conditioned approach task in which a second, neutral stimulus, perceptually similar to the CS, was added; the lesioned subjects exhibited reduced discrimination. Second, the role of the nucleus accumbens (Acb) in Pavlovian-instrumental transfer was investigated. The nucleus accumbens core, together with a larger amygdalar-striatal network of which it is a component, has previously been shown to be necessary for the expression of 'simple' Pavlovian-instrumental transfer. Rats with lesions of the nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) and shell (AcbSh) were tested on a 'response-specific' Pavlovian-instrumental transfer task, in which a Pavlovian CS selectively enhances instrumental responding for the outcome with which the CS was originally paired. AcbC lesions impaired the response specificity of this effect, while AcbSh lesions abolished Pavlovian-instrumental transfer entirely. These results are consistent with some - but not all - previous results in suggesting that the shell provides 'vigour' and the core provides 'direction' for the potentiation of behaviour by Pavlovian CSs. Third, an attempt was made to train rats on a task for assessing preference for delayed reinforcement, using the 'adjusting-delay' paradigm. It was not immediately apparent that the rats reacted to the contingencies operative in this task, and mathematical analysis of their behaviour was conducted to establish whether their behaviour was sensitive to the delay, and what 'molar' features of performance on this task could be explained by delay-independent processes. Fourth, a different delayed reinforcement choice task was developed, modifying a previously published task in which the subject is repeatedly offered a choice, in discrete trials, of a small reward delivered immediately, and a large reward delivered after a delay, with the delays systematically varied by the experimenter. Rats were trained on versions of this task in which the large, delayed reinforcer was or was not explicitly signalled by a cue present during the delay. The behavioural basis of performance on this task was examined, and d-amphetamine, chlordiazepoxide, and alpha-flupenthixol were administered systemically. It was found that the effects of d-amphetamine depended on whether the delayed reinforcer was signalled or unsignalled, increasing preference for signalled delayed reinforcement at some doses, but decreasing preference for unsignalled delayed reinforcement. These results may resolve contradictions in the literature, and are suggested to reflect the known effect of amphetamine to potentiate responding for conditioned reinforcers. Fifth, rats that had been trained on this task (with no explicit signals present during the delay) were given lesions of the ACC, AcbC, or medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). ACC-lesioned rats were no different from sham-operated controls in their ability to choose a large, delayed reinforcer. Lesions of mPFC reduced the tendency of subjects to shift from one lever to the other during the course of a session, but mPFC-lesioned subjects responded normally to removal of the delays, suggesting a loss of stimulus control. However, rats with lesions of the AcbC were severely impaired on this task, preferring the small, immediate reward, even though they discriminated the reinforcers. Additionally, the effects of intra-Acb amphetamine were assessed using a different version of the delayed reinforcement choice task, and found to have slight but inconsistent effects to reduce preference for the delayed reinforcer, though this effect did not depend on whether the delayed reward was signalled or unsignalled. These results suggest that the AcbC contributes significantly to the rat's ability to choose a delayed reward, a finding that has important implications for the understanding of Acb function. It is suggested that dysfunction of the AcbC may be a key element in the pathology of impulsivity.
Download or read book Incentive written by Frank A. Logan and published by . This book was released on 1960 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience written by Jerry J. Buccafusco and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2000-08-29 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using the most well-studied behavioral analyses of animal subjects to promote a better understanding of the effects of disease and the effects of new therapeutic treatments on human cognition, Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience provides a reference manual for molecular and cellular research scientists in both academia and the pharmaceutic
Download or read book Brain Aging written by David R. Riddle and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-04-19 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recognition that aging is not the accumulation of disease, but rather comprises fundamental biological processes that are amenable to experimental study, is the basis for the recent growth of experimental biogerontology. As increasingly sophisticated studies provide greater understanding of what occurs in the aging brain and how these changes occur
Download or read book The Rat written by Samuel Anthony Barnett and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The laws of animal behavior have been revised and revealed through research performed by zoologists, physiologists and experimental psychologists. Each has contributed much. Their main meeting ground has been the study of mammals, especially rats. This classic book is unique in bringing together the principal conclusions of these researchers in a compact, well illustrated, and lucid form. The author himself made important original contributions to wild rat behavior; his account of "white rat psychology" and of relevant work on other species is equally authoritative. Experience as a teacher enabled him to write an unusually logical and comprehensive text, suitable for students of zoology, psychology and medicine. This book belongs to no particular school of biology or psychology. Rather it admits the work of all schools and strict adherence to none. The principal topics covered include: movement in the living space; feeding behavior; social and reproductive behavior; the analysis of "instinct"; the analysis of learned behavior; "motivation" and "drive"; the brain and behavior. The book includes a full, carefully selected bibliography, current up to the time of original publication of the original edition. S. A. Barnett (1915-2003) was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford where he became Christopher Welch Scholar after taking a First in Zoology. He was a senior lecturer, and eventually was appointed chair at the Glasgow University Zoology Department in 1971. He has studied behavior, hybrid vigor and effects of breeding at a low temperature in rats and mice and wrote over 150 papers and nine books.
Download or read book Concise Learning and Memory written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2010-05-25 with total page 889 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of learning and memory is a central topic in neuroscience and psychology. Many of the basic research findings are directly applicable in the treatment of diseases and aging phenomena, and have found their way into educational theory and praxis. Concise Learning and Memory represents the best 30 chapters from Learning and Memory: A comprehensive reference (Academic Press March 2008), the most comprehensive source of information about learning and memory ever assembled, selected by one of the most respective scientists in the field, John H. Byrne. This concise version provides a truly authoritative collection of overview articles representing fundamental reviews of our knowledge of this central cognitive function of animal brains. It will be an affordable and accessible reference for scientists and students in all areas of neuroscience and psychology. There is no other single-volume reference with such authority and comprehensive coverage and depth currently available. Represents an authoritative selection of the fundamental chapters from the most comprehensive source of information about learning and memory ever assembled, Learning and Memory - A comprehensive reference (Academic Press Mar 2008) Representing outstanding scholarship, each chapter is written by a leader in the field and an expert in the topic area All topics represent the most up to date research Full color throughout, heavily illustrated Priced to provide an affordable reference to individuals and workgroups
Download or read book Research Awards Index written by and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 742 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward written by Jay A. Gottfried and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2011-03-28 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Synthesizing coverage of sensation and reward into a comprehensive systems overview, Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward presents a cutting-edge and multidisciplinary approach to the interplay of sensory and reward processing in the brain. While over the past 70 years these areas have drifted apart, this book makes a case for reuniting sensation a
Download or read book Neuroeconomics written by Nathaniel D. Daw and published by Elsevier Inc. Chapters. This book was released on 2013-08-13 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This chapter reviews issues of current research in reinforcement learning theories and their neural substrates. We consider how the formal constructs of states, actions, and rewards that these theories describe can be understood to map onto counterparts experienced by biological organisms learning in the real world. In each case, this correspondence involves significant difficulties. However, elaborated theoretical accounts from computer science clarify, in each case, how to extend these theories to more realistic circumstances while still preserving the core prediction error-driven learning mechanism that has been prominent in neuroeconomic accounts.
Download or read book Basic Processes of Learning Cognition and Motivation written by S. M. Cormier and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2014-04-04 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1986. The main objective of this book is to provide a hard-headed theoretical integration of several different major areas of research on learning, cognition, and motivation in humans and other mammals. By hard-headed, the author simply means that the concepts were generated from empirical data and are testable. Since an integrative theory must of necessity integrate apparent diversity, such an approach involves the identification and description of the most fundamental factors (structural processes) underlying the observed capacities of humans and animals in the domain of learning and motivation.
Download or read book Research Grants Index written by National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Division of Research Grants and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 1212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Biomedical Index to PHS supported Research written by and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 1104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Reward and Decision Making in Corticobasal Ganglia Networks Volume 1104 written by Bernard W. Balleine and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 2007-07-10 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The neural bases of decision-making processes are currently generating considerable experimental and theoretical interest. Several recent developments in neuroscience, psychology, and economics have helped to focus thinking on this issue: the computational description of cortico-striatal networks in terms of reinforcement learning models, recognition that midbrain dopaminergic activity could reflect an error correction learning signal, improvements in imaging technology, the recognition that multiple controllers of actions and of values contribute to the development of adaptive behavior, and the recognition that theories of value derived from economics can provide a principled means of incorporating intangible factors such as risk, uncertainty, and temporal discounting into computational models of neural system. The contributions to this volume are forward-looking assessments of the current and future issues likely to be faced by researchers in this area. Four current issues are specifically addressed: - the degree to which distinct behavioral and psychological capacities map onto discrete neural systems; - the relationship between midbrain dopamine activity and reward in terms of phasic and tonic activity, prefrontal and striatal targets, and whether and what limits exist in terms of learning; - whether there are multiple prediction error signals distinguishing between, for example, reward and punishment, instrumental versus Pavlovian conditioning, goals and habits, learning with different discount factors, real versus fictive learning; and - the relationship between economics and neuroscience, which has recently emerged in a marriage to form the new field of neuroeconomics. Will this marriage be productive for the long term or swiftly head for divorce? NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/nyas. ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to the Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit www.nyas.org/membership/main.asp for more information about becoming a member.
Download or read book Studies of Cerebral Function in Learning written by Karl S. Lashley and published by . This book was released on 1967 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality written by Philip J. Corr and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-04-10 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the major neuropsychological models of personality, developed by world-renowned psychologist Professor Jeffrey Gray, is based upon individual differences in reactions to punishing and rewarding stimuli. This biological theory of personality - now widely known as 'Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory' (RST) - has had a major influence on motivation, emotion and psychopathology research. In 2000, RST was substantially revised by Jeffrey Gray, together with Neil McNaughton, and this revised theory proposed three principal motivation/emotion systems: the 'Fight-Flight-Freeze System' (FFFS), the 'Behavioural Approach System' (BAS) and the 'Behavioural Inhibition System' (BIS). This is the first book to summarise the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of personality and bring together leading researchers in the field. It summarizes all of the pre-2000 RST research findings, explains and elaborates the implications of the 2000 theory for personality psychology and lays out the future research agenda for RST.
Download or read book Methylmercury and Neurotoxicity written by Sandra Ceccatelli and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-03-23 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that knows no environmental boundaries. Even the most stringent control of anthropogenic Hg sources will not eliminate exposure given its ubiquitous presence. Exposure to Hg occurs primarily via the food chain due to MeHg’s accumulation in fish. Latest US statistics indicate that 46 States have fish consumption advisories. In addition, Hg is a common pollutant in hazardous waste sites, with an estimated 3-4 million children living within one mile of at least one of the 1,300+ active hazardous waste sites in the US. The effects on intellectual function in children prenatally exposed to MeHg via maternal fish consumption have been the subject of two on-going major, prospective, longitudinal studies in the Seychelles and the Faroe Islands. It is important to recognize that the risk for MeHg exposure is not limited only to islanders with high fish consumption. This book will provide state-of-the-art information to the graduate student training in toxicology, risk assessors, researchers and medical providers at large. It is aimed to bring the reader up to date on contemporary issues associated with exposure to methylmercury, from its effects on stem cells and neurons to population studies.
Download or read book Methods in Psychobiology Specialized laboratory techniques in neuropsychology and neurobiology written by R. D. Myers and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
