Delayed reinforcement hinders subsequent extinction

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 591; pp. 20 - 25
• Main Authors: Shibata, Yusuke, Yoshimoto, Airi, Yamashiro, Kotaro, Ikegaya, Yuji, Matsumoto, Nobuyoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 05.02.2022
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Extinction, Psychological; Male; Medial forebrain bundle; Motor Activity - physiology; Nose poke; Rat; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reinforcement, Psychology; Reward; Medial forebrain bundle; Reward; Rat; Nose poke
• ISSN: 0006-291X; 1090-2104
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.12.101

In operant conditioning, animals associate their own behavior with a reinforcer, and the probability of the behavioral responses is increased. This form of learning is called reinforcement. In contrast, when the previously reinforced responses are no longer paired with a reinforcer, these responses are eventually extinguished. The effectiveness of reinforcement depends primarily on time intervals between reinforcers and responses, but it is not fully understood how the intervals affect subsequent extinction. To address this question, we performed electrical stimulation of the rat medial forebrain bundle (MFB), a part of the brain reward system, and an operant task in which the MFB was electrically stimulated 0.1 s (immediate condition) or 1 s (delayed condition) after the rat's nose was poked. During the first half of the task period (a reinforcement period), nose pokes were associated with MFB stimulation. In contrast, during the second half (an extinction period), we did not stimulate the MFB irrespective of nose pokes. We found that rats exhibited increased nose-poke behaviors during the reinforcement period under both conditions, whereas during the extinction period, nose pokes were more persistent in the delayed condition than in the immediate condition. The persistent responses in the extinction period were independent of responses in the reinforcement period. Therefore, reinforcement and extinction are driven by independent neural mechanisms. •We performed nose-poke tests using rats.•We delivered electrical stimulation of the rat medial forebrain bundles as a reward.•The nose-poke behavior persisted even after the rewarding stimulation was terminated.•Rats continued to stay around the active nose-poke hole.