Time in the central area of the elevated plus-maze correlates with impulsivity-related measures during an operant task

Impulsivity-related measures have been obtained using operantconditioning tasks. Although it has been suggested that impulsivity indices can also be obtained using the elevated plus-maze (EPM), an anxiety-related animal test, no studies have examined the relationship between anxiety-related variable...

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Published inUniversitas psychologica Vol. 15; no. spe5; pp. 1 - 9
Main Authors Leonardo Rico, Javier, Hurtado-Parrado, Camilo, Vásquez-Sepúlveda, Juan, Fonseca, Juan, Cardona, Ángelo
Format Journal Article
LanguagePortuguese
Published Pontificia Universidad Javeriana 01.12.2016
Subjects
PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
elevated plus-maze
laberinto en cruz elevado
ratas
operant conditioning
impulsividad
impulsivity
Anxiety
rats
Ansiedad
condicionamiento operante
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Summary:Impulsivity-related measures have been obtained using operantconditioning tasks. Although it has been suggested that impulsivity indices can also be obtained using the elevated plus-maze (EPM), an anxiety-related animal test, no studies have examined the relationship between anxiety-related variables in EPM and impulsivity-related indices obtained during operant conditioning. Correlations between EPM measures and performance in a 60-s fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement (FI 60-s) were established in this study. Seventeen female rats were exposed to the EPM before starting training in the FI 60-s schedule. A positive correlation was found between the percentage of time spent in the central area of the EPM and both the FI efficiency index and the inter-response times. In addition, these three measures were positively correlated within Factor 1 of a factor analysis. No correlations were observed between open-arms measures in EPM and operant performance. These results suggest that time in the central area of the EPM may be a useful index of impulsivity in rodents without a pre-determined trait of impulsivity.
ISSN:1657-9267
DOI:10.11144/Javeriana.upsy15-5.tcae