The tail flick might work.
I was thinking of training rats in a chamber, sounding a tone and then
administering the US. I've worked with rabbits, but rats cannot be
restrained in such a fashion to deliver a puff of air to the eye. I expect
that the rats would be freely moving (which might make focused light for
tail flick difficult). I know the rabbit model of conditioning has been
adapted to rats, but it uses shock as a US.
I was wondering if anyone has tested a rat's response to other stimuli, like
a gust of air, a squirt of water, or agitation of the platform. Do they
freeze, do they become desensitized (I ask because I will need some reliable
measure of the animal's response - without giving the animal the option of
avoiding the stimuli)?
Thank you again,
Deanna Buck
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Black
To: TIPS
Sent: 12/4/00 3:23 PM
Subject: Re: any alternatives for shock as a US?
On Mon, 4 Dec 2000, Buck, Deanna (NINDS) wrote:
> I'm interested in using a classical conditioning paradigm with rats,
but
> would like to use something other than shock as a US.
>
> I've thought about generating a burst of air, or even water (somehow,
> maybe... I don't know).
Well, I think it would be helpful if we knew a bit more about
what you had in mind, but off the top of my head how about:
1) lithium chloride poisoning (a US for learned aversions)
2) the tail-flick test I just mentioned in my last post about
ketamine? Tail heating by focused light--> tail flick.
-Stephen
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Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC
J1M 1Z7
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
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