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Time perception and patience: individual differences in interval timing precision predict choice impulsivity in European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:731-745. [PMID: 33433822 PMCID: PMC8238733 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01456-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Impulsivity, in the sense of the extent rewards are devalued as the time until their realization increases, is linked to various negative outcomes in humans, yet understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying it is limited. Variation in the imprecision of interval timing is a possible contributor to variation in impulsivity. We use a numerical model to generate predictions concerning the effect of timing imprecision on impulsivity. We distinguish between fixed imprecision (the imprecision that applies even when timing the very shortest time intervals) and proportional imprecision (the rate at which imprecision increases as the interval becomes longer). The model predicts that impulsivity should increase with increasing fixed imprecision, but decrease with increasing proportional imprecision. We present data from a cohort of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris, n = 28) in which impulsivity had previously been measured through an intertemporal choice paradigm. We tested interval timing imprecision in the same individuals using a tri-peak temporal reproduction procedure. We found repeatable individual differences in both fixed and proportional imprecision. As predicted, birds with greater proportional imprecision in interval timing made fewer impulsive choices, whilst those with greater fixed imprecision tended to make more. Contradictory observations in the literature regarding the direction of association between timing imprecision and impulsivity might be clarified by distinguishing between fixed and proportional components of imprecision.
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2
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Chen SF, Chuang CY, Chao CC, Yang YH, Chu CY, Yao CY, Su YC, Huang YH, Liao RM. Task-Dependent Differences in Operant Behaviors of Rats With Acute Exposure to High Ambient Temperature: A Potential Role of Hippocampal Dopamine Reuptake Transporters. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:15. [PMID: 30778291 PMCID: PMC6369190 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral or cognitive functions are known to be influenced by thermal stress from the change in ambient temperature (Ta). However, little is known about how increased Ta (i.e., when the weather becomes warm or hot) may affect operant conditioned behavior and the neural substrates involved. The present study thus investigated the effects of high Ta on operant behaviors maintained on a fixed-ratio 1 (FR1) and a differential reinforcement for low-rate responding 10 s (DRL 10-s) schedule of reinforcement. The rats were randomly assigned to three groups receiving acute exposure to Ta of 23°C, 28°C, and 35°C, respectively, for evaluating the effects of high Ta exposure on four behavioral tests. Behavioral responses in an elevated T-maze and locomotor activity were not affected by Ta treatment. Regarding operant tests, while the total responses of FR1 behavior were decreased only under 35°C when compared with the control group of 23°C, those of DRL 10-s behavior were significantly reduced in both groups of 28°C and 35°C. Distinct patterns of inter-response time (IRT) distribution of DRL behavior appeared among the three groups; between-group differences of behavioral changes produced by high Ta exposure were confirmed by quantitative analyses of IRT data. Western blot assays of dopamine (DA) D1 and D2 receptor, DA transporter (DAT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were conducted for the sample tissues collected in six brain areas from all the subjects after acute high Ta exposure. Significant Ta-related effects were only revealed in the dorsal hippocampus (dHIP). In which, the DAT levels were increased in a Ta-dependent fashion that was associated with operant behavior changes under high Ta exposure. And, there as an increased level of D1 receptors in the 28°C group. In summary, these data indicate that the performance of operant behavior affected by the present high Ta exposure is task-dependent, and these changes of operant behaviors cannot be attributed to gross motor function or anxiety being affected. The regulation of dHIP DAT may be involved in this operant behavioral change under high Ta exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo-Fu Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Psychology, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chuen-Yu Chuang
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Psychology, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chang Chao
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hua Yang
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Yun Chu
- Affiliated High School, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Yu Yao
- Affiliated High School, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Su
- Affiliated High School, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Huei Huang
- Affiliated High School, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ruey-Ming Liao
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Psychology, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Research Center for Mind, Brain and Learning, National Cheng-Chi University, Taipei, Taiwan
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3
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Bailey JM, Oliveri AN, Levin ED. Pharmacological analyses of learning and memory in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2015; 139 Pt B:103-11. [PMID: 25792292 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2015.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the last decade, zebrafish (Danio rerio) have become valuable as a complementary model in behavioral pharmacology, opening a new avenue for understanding the relationships between drug action and behavior. This species offers a useful intermediate approach bridging the gap between in vitro studies and traditional mammalian models. Zebrafish offer great advantages of economy compared to their rodent counterparts, their complex brains and behavioral repertoire offer great translational potential relative to in vitro models. The development and validation of a variety of tests to measure behavior, including cognition, in zebrafish have set the stage for the use of this animal for behavioral pharmacology studies. This has led to research into the basic mechanisms of cognitive function as well as screening for potential cognition-improving drug therapies, among other lines of research. As with all models, zebrafish have limitations, which span pharmacokinetic challenges to difficulties quantifying behavior. The use, efficacy and limitations associated with a zebrafish model of cognitive function are discussed in this review, within the context of behavioral pharmacology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan M Bailey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Anthony N Oliveri
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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4
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Allman MJ, Teki S, Griffiths TD, Meck WH. Properties of the Internal Clock: First- and Second-Order Principles of Subjective Time. Annu Rev Psychol 2014; 65:743-71. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J. Allman
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48823;
| | - Sundeep Teki
- Wellcome Trust Center for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG United Kingdom;
| | - Timothy D. Griffiths
- Wellcome Trust Center for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG United Kingdom;
- Institute of Neuroscience, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH United Kingdom;
| | - Warren H. Meck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27701;
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Heilbronner SR, Meck WH. Dissociations between interval timing and intertemporal choice following administration of fluoxetine, cocaine, or methamphetamine. Behav Processes 2014; 101:123-34. [PMID: 24135569 PMCID: PMC4081038 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Revised: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The goal of our study was to characterize the relationship between intertemporal choice and interval timing, including determining how drugs that modulate brain serotonin and dopamine levels influence these two processes. In Experiment 1, rats were tested on a standard 40-s peak-interval procedure following administration of fluoxetine (3, 5, or 8 mg/kg) or vehicle to assess basic effects on interval timing. In Experiment 2, rats were tested in a novel behavioral paradigm intended to simultaneously examine interval timing and impulsivity. Rats performed a variant of the bi-peak procedure using 10-s and 40-s target durations with an additional "defection" lever that provided the possibility of a small, immediate reward. Timing functions remained relatively intact, and 'patience' across subjects correlated with peak times, indicating a negative relationship between 'patience' and clock speed. We next examined the effects of fluoxetine (5 mg/kg), cocaine (15 mg/kg), or methamphetamine (1 mg/kg) on task performance. Fluoxetine reduced impulsivity as measured by defection time without corresponding changes in clock speed. In contrast, cocaine and methamphetamine both increased impulsivity and clock speed. Thus, variations in timing may mediate intertemporal choice via dopaminergic inputs. However, a separate, serotonergic system can affect intertemporal choice without affecting interval timing directly. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Associative and Temporal Learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Heilbronner
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Warren H Meck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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Abstract
In 1984, there was considerable evidence that the hippocampus was important for spatial learning and some evidence that it was also involved in duration discrimination. The article "Hippocampus, Time, and Memory" (Meck, Church, & Olton, 1984), however, was the first to isolate the effects of hippocampal damage on specific stages of temporal processing. In this review, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Behavioral Neuroscience, we look back on factors that contributed to the long-lasting influence of this article. The major results were that a fimbria-fornix lesion (a) interferes with the ability to retain information in temporal working memory, and (b) distorts the content of temporal reference memory, but (c) did not decrease sensitivity to signal duration. This was the first lesion experiment in which the results were interpreted by a well-developed theory of behavior (scalar timing theory). It has led to extensive research on the role of the hippocampus in temporal processing by many investigators. The most important ones are the development of computational models with plausible neural mechanisms (such as the striatal beat-frequency model of interval timing), the use of multiple behavioral measures of timing, and empirical research on the neural mechanisms of timing and temporal memory using ensemble recording of neurons in prefrontal-striatal-hippocampal circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren H. Meck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University
| | - Russell M. Church
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences,
Brown University
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Feenders G, Bateson M. Hand rearing affects emotional responses but not basic cognitive performance in European starlings. Anim Behav 2013; 86:127-138. [PMID: 23888084 PMCID: PMC3719021 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2012] [Revised: 12/12/2012] [Accepted: 04/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hand rearing is a common procedure in behavioural research on birds. While likely to produce tamer experimental animals, there is a risk that it could induce pathological changes in brain and behaviour similar to those seen in mammals that have experienced maternal separation. We explored the effects of hand rearing on the cognitive and behavioural development of European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, to assess the generality of results obtained from hand-reared animals. Two groups of age-matched birds were created from the same wild population: one hand-reared from 10 days posthatch and one brought into the laboratory as independent juveniles. These groups were compared on a battery of neuropsychological tasks designed to probe different aspects of cognitive function including learning, perseverative cognition, interval timing, neophobia and impulsivity. There was no evidence for cognitive impairment in the hand-reared birds. They did not have reduced learning speed, impairments in accuracy or precision of interval timing or pathological perseverative cognition compared to the wild-caught birds. Additionally, there was no evidence that birds that developed stereotypies in laboratory cages (predominantly the wild-caught birds) had any cognitive impairments, although this may be because no birds had severe, crystallized stereotypies. There was some evidence that hand-reared birds were less neophobic and less impulsive than wild-caught birds, suggesting that hand rearing might alter emotionally mediated decision making in a direction usually associated with reduced developmental stress in mammals. This study therefore supports the use of hand rearing as an experimental procedure in behavioural research on passerine birds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melissa Bateson
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K
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Kearns RR, Spencer RL. An unexpected increase in restraint duration alters the expression of stress response habituation. Physiol Behav 2013; 122:193-200. [PMID: 23566924 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2012] [Revised: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
While habituation develops to a repeated psychological stressor, manipulating certain parameters of the stress challenge experience may lead to dishabituation of the stress response. In this experiment, we investigated whether the behavioral, endocrine, and neural responses (c-fos mRNA immediate early gene expression) to a psychological stressor (restraint) differ when the duration of the stressor given on the test day violates expectations based on prior stress experience. Rats experienced 10 min of daily restraint on Days 1-4 followed by a challenge with either the same duration (10 min) or a longer duration (30 min) of restraint on Day 5. Rats' behavior was video recorded during the Day 5 restraint episode, and trunk blood and brain tissue were collected 30 min following restraint onset. Struggling behavior was manually scored as active attempts to escape the restraint device. Rats who experienced the same duration of repeated restraint showed a significant decrease of plasma corticosterone (CORT) compared to the 10 min acute restraint group (habituation). In addition, these rats showed decreased active struggling over repeated restraint trials. Conversely, the rats showed an increased CORT response (dishabituation) when they experienced a longer duration of restraint on Day 5 than they had previously. These rats showed a habituated behavioral response during the first 10 min of restraint, however struggling behavior increased once the duration of restraint exceeded the expected duration (with a peak at 12 min). This peak in struggling behavior did not occur during 30 min acute restraint, indicating that the effect was related to the memory of previous restraint experience and not due to a longer duration of restraint. In contrast, these animals showed habituated c-fos mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), lateral septum (LS), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in response to the increased stressor duration. Thus, there was a dissociation between c-fos mRNA expression in key stress responsive brain regions and the behavioral and endocrine response to increased stressor duration. This dissociation may have been due to a greater lag time for c-fos mRNA responses to reflect the impact of a dishabituation response. In conclusion, habituation of the endocrine and behavioral stress response occurred when the duration of the stressor matches the previous experience, while dishabituation of the stress response was triggered (with remarkable temporal precision) by an unexpected increase in stress duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael R Kearns
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder, Campus Box 345, Boulder, CO 80309 USA.
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Sewell RA, Schnakenberg A, Elander J, Radhakrishnan R, Williams A, Skosnik PD, Pittman B, Ranganathan M, D’Souza DC. Acute effects of THC on time perception in frequent and infrequent cannabis users. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013. [PMID: 23179965 PMCID: PMC3581701 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2915-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Cannabinoids have been shown to alter time perception, but existing literature has several limitations. Few studies have included both time estimation and production tasks, few control for subvocal counting, most had small sample sizes, some did not record subjects' cannabis use, many tested only one dose, and used either oral or inhaled administration of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), leading to variable pharmacokinetics, and some used whole-plant cannabis containing cannabinoids other than THC. Our study attempted to address these limitations. OBJECTIVES This study aims to characterize the acute effects of THC and frequent cannabis use on seconds-range time perception. THC was hypothesized to produce transient, dose-related time overestimation and underproduction. Frequent cannabis smokers were hypothesized to show blunted responses to these alterations. METHODS IV THC was administered at doses from 0.015 to 0.05 mg/kg to 44 subjects who participated in several double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced, crossover, placebo-controlled studies. Visual time estimation and production tasks in the seconds range were presented to subjects three times on each test day. RESULTS All doses induced time overestimation and underproduction. Chronic cannabis use had no effect on baseline time perception. While infrequent/nonsmokers showed temporal overestimation at medium and high doses and temporal underproduction at all doses, frequent cannabis users showed no differences. THC effects on time perception were not dose related. CONCLUSIONS A psychoactive dose of THC increases internal clock speed as indicated by time overestimation and underproduction. This effect is not dose related and is blunted in chronic cannabis smokers who did not otherwise have altered baseline time perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Andrew Sewell
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ashley Schnakenberg
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jacqueline Elander
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Rajiv Radhakrishnan
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ashley Williams
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Patrick D. Skosnik
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Brian Pittman
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Mohini Ranganathan
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - D. Cyril D’Souza
- Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, United States,VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States,Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, New Haven, CT, United States
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Macdonald CJ, Cheng RK, Meck WH. Acquisition of "Start" and "Stop" response thresholds in peak-interval timing is differentially sensitive to protein synthesis inhibition in the dorsal and ventral striatum. Front Integr Neurosci 2012; 6:10. [PMID: 22435054 PMCID: PMC3303086 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2012.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2011] [Accepted: 02/28/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Time-based decision-making in peak-interval timing procedures involves the setting of response thresholds for the initiation (“Start”) and termination (“Stop”) of a response sequence that is centered on a target duration. Using intracerebral infusions of the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin, we report that the acquisition of the “Start” response depends on normal functioning (including protein synthesis) in the dorsal striatum (DS), but not the ventral striatum (VS). Conversely, disruption of the VS, but not the DS, impairs the acquisition of the “Stop” response. We hypothesize that the dorsal and ventral regions of the striatum function as a competitive neural network that encodes the temporal boundaries marking the beginning and end of a timed response sequence.
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Williams CL. Sex differences in counting and timing. Front Integr Neurosci 2012; 5:88. [PMID: 22319476 PMCID: PMC3251826 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2011] [Accepted: 12/02/2011] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
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Pleil KE, Cordes S, Meck WH, Williams CL. Rapid and acute effects of estrogen on time perception in male and female rats. Front Integr Neurosci 2011; 5:63. [PMID: 22016725 PMCID: PMC3192991 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in the rapid and acute effects of estradiol on time perception were investigated in adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Because estradiol has been shown to increase striatal dopamine release, it may be able to modify time perception and timed performance by increasing the speed of an internal clock in a manner similar to indirect dopamine agonists such as amphetamine and cocaine. Two groups of females (neonatally estradiol-treated/adult ovariectomized and neonatally oil-treated/adult ovariectomized) and two groups of males (neonatally castrated and adult castrated) were trained in a 2 vs. 8-s duration bisection procedure and tested using intermediate signal durations. After obtaining oil-injected baseline psychometric functions over several days, rats were administered 5 μg of estradiol for 4 days and behaviorally evaluated 30 min following each injection. This oil-estradiol administration cycle was subsequently repeated three times following the re-establishment of baseline training. Results revealed significant sex differences in the initial baseline functions that were not modifiable by organizational hormones, with males' duration bisection functions shifted horizontally to the left of females'. Upon the first administration of estradiol, females, but not males, showed a significant, transient leftward shift in their bisection functions, indicative of an increase in clock speed. After extensive retraining in the duration bisection procedure, rats that were exposed to gonadal hormones during the first week of life showed a significant rightward shift in their bisection functions on the fourth day of estradiol administration during each cycle, suggesting a decrease in clock speed. Taken together, our results support the view that there are multiple mechanisms of estrogens' action in the striatum that modulate dopaminergic activity and are differentially organized by gonadal steroids during early brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E Pleil
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Allman MJ, Meck WH. Pathophysiological distortions in time perception and timed performance. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 135:656-77. [PMID: 21921020 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awr210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 283] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Distortions in time perception and timed performance are presented by a number of different neurological and psychiatric conditions (e.g. Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism). As a consequence, the primary focus of this review is on factors that define or produce systematic changes in the attention, clock, memory and decision stages of temporal processing as originally defined by Scalar Expectancy Theory. These findings are used to evaluate the Striatal Beat Frequency Theory, which is a neurobiological model of interval timing based upon the coincidence detection of oscillatory processes in corticostriatal circuits that can be mapped onto the stages of information processing proposed by Scalar Timing Theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Allman
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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Lustig C. The neuroscience of time and number: untying the gordian knot. Front Integr Neurosci 2011; 5:47. [PMID: 21927598 PMCID: PMC3169788 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2011] [Accepted: 08/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Lustig
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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15
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Coull JT, Cheng RK, Meck WH. Neuroanatomical and neurochemical substrates of timing. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 36:3-25. [PMID: 20668434 PMCID: PMC3055517 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2010.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 508] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2010] [Revised: 06/29/2010] [Accepted: 06/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
We all have a sense of time. Yet, there are no sensory receptors specifically dedicated for perceiving time. It is an almost uniquely intangible sensation: we cannot see time in the way that we see color, shape, or even location. So how is time represented in the brain? We explore the neural substrates of metrical representations of time such as duration estimation (explicit timing) or temporal expectation (implicit timing). Basal ganglia (BG), supplementary motor area, cerebellum, and prefrontal cortex have all been linked to the explicit estimation of duration. However, each region may have a functionally discrete role and will be differentially implicated depending upon task context. Among these, the dorsal striatum of the BG and, more specifically, its ascending nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway seems to be the most crucial of these regions, as shown by converging functional neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and psychopharmacological investigations in humans, as well as lesion and pharmacological studies in animals. Moreover, neuronal firing rates in both striatal and interconnected frontal areas vary as a function of duration, suggesting a neurophysiological mechanism for the representation of time in the brain, with the excitatory-inhibitory balance of interactions among distinct subtypes of striatal neuron serving to fine-tune temporal accuracy and precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer T Coull
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition, Pole 3C, Université de Provence and CNRS, Marseille, France.
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Buhusi CV, Meck WH. Relative time sharing: new findings and an extension of the resource allocation model of temporal processing. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2009; 364:1875-85. [PMID: 19487190 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals time as if using a stopwatch that can be stopped or reset on command. Here, we review behavioural and neurobiological data supporting the time-sharing hypothesis that perceived time depends on the attentional and memory resources allocated to the timing process. Neuroimaging studies in humans suggest that timekeeping tasks engage brain circuits typically involved in attention and working memory. Behavioural, pharmacological, lesion and electrophysiological studies in lower animals support this time-sharing hypothesis. When subjects attend to a second task, or when intruder events are presented, estimated durations are shorter, presumably due to resources being taken away from timing. Here, we extend the time-sharing hypothesis by proposing that resource reallocation is proportional to the perceived contrast, both in temporal and non-temporal features, between intruders and the timed events. New findings support this extension by showing that the effect of an intruder event is dependent on the relative duration of the intruder to the intertrial interval. The conclusion is that the brain circuits engaged by timekeeping comprise not only those primarily involved in time accumulation, but also those involved in the maintenance of attentional and memory resources for timing, and in the monitoring and reallocation of those resources among tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalin V Buhusi
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29464, USA.
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Penney TB, Gibbon J, Meck WH. Categorical scaling of duration bisection in pigeons (Columba livia), mice (Mus musculus), and humans (Homo sapiens). Psychol Sci 2009; 19:1103-9. [PMID: 19076481 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02210.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental assumption underlying research in translational neuroscience is that animal models represent many of the same neurocognitive mechanisms and decision processes used by humans. Clear demonstrations of such correspondences will be crucial to the discovery of the neurobiological underpinnings of higher-level cognition. One domain likely to support fruitful comparisons is interval timing, because humans and other animals appear to share basic similarities in their ability to discriminate the durations of events in the seconds-to-minutes range. Here, we report that in a duration-bisection procedure using a series of anchor durations ranging from 2 through 5 s, pigeon, mouse, and human subjects classified a given signal duration as subjectively shorter than an adjacent, physically shorter signal duration when the two durations lay on opposite sides of a putative category boundary. These bisection reversals provide strong evidence for continuity of temporal cognition across a wide range of vertebrate species.
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Caetano MS, Church RM. A comparison of responses and stimuli as time markers. Behav Processes 2009; 81:298-302. [PMID: 19429223 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2009.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2008] [Revised: 01/21/2009] [Accepted: 01/29/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
A rat's behavior, as well as a stimulus, may be a time marker. But do they lead to similar performance? Eight rats were trained on a 20-s DRL procedure in which head-entry responses were time markers, i.e., each head-entry response indicated that food would not be delivered for 20s. Concurrently, eight rats were trained on a control procedure in which light stimuli, yoked to the responses of a rat in the DRL procedure, were time markers, i.e., each light stimulus indicated that food would not be delivered for 20s. A comparison of performance between the two groups showed a lower response rate in the DRL procedure than in the yoked control procedure. However, similar response patterns between the two groups were observed, suggesting that rats anticipated the food similarly with a stimulus or a response as the time marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo S Caetano
- Department of Psychology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
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21
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Lamoureux JA, Meck WH, Williams CL. Prenatal choline availability alters the context sensitivity of Pavlovian conditioning in adult rats. Learn Mem 2008; 15:866-75. [PMID: 19050158 PMCID: PMC2632844 DOI: 10.1101/lm.1058708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2008] [Accepted: 09/21/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The effects of prenatal choline availability on Pavlovian conditioning were assessed in adult male rats (3-4 mo). Neither supplementation nor deprivation of prenatal choline affected the acquisition and extinction of simple Pavlovian conditioned excitation, or the acquisition and retardation of conditioned inhibition. However, prenatal choline availability significantly altered the contextual control of these learned behaviors. Both control and choline-deprived rats exhibited context specificity of conditioned excitation as exhibited by a loss in responding when tested in an alternate context after conditioning; in contrast, choline-supplemented rats showed no such effect. When switched to a different context following extinction, however, both choline-supplemented and control rats showed substantial contextual control of responding, whereas choline-deficient rats did not. These data support the view that configural associations that rely on hippocampal function are selectively sensitive to prenatal manipulations of dietary choline during prenatal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A. Lamoureux
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Warren H. Meck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Christina L. Williams
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
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22
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Buhusi CV, Lamoureux JA, Meck WH. Prenatal choline supplementation increases sensitivity to contextual processing of temporal information. Brain Res 2008; 1237:204-13. [PMID: 18778696 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.08.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2008] [Revised: 08/22/2008] [Accepted: 08/22/2008] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The effects of prenatal choline availability on contextual processing in a 30-s peak-interval (PI) procedure with gaps (1, 5, 10, and 15 s) were assessed in adult male rats. Neither supplementation nor deprivation of prenatal choline affected baseline timing performance in the PI procedure. However, prenatal choline availability significantly altered the contextual processing of gaps inserted into the to-be-timed signal (light on). Choline-supplemented rats displayed a high degree of context sensitivity as indicated by clock resetting when presented with a gap in the signal (light off). In contrast, choline-deficient rats showed no such effect and stopped their clocks during the gap. Control rats exhibited an intermediate level of contextual processing in between stop and full reset. When switched to a reversed gap condition in which rats timed the absence of the light and the presence of the light served as a gap, all groups reset their clocks following a gap. Furthermore, when filling the intertrial interval (ITI) with a distinctive stimulus (e.g., sound), both choline-supplemented and control rats rightward shifted their PI functions less on trials with gaps than choline-deficient rats, indicating greater contextual sensitivity and reduced clock resetting under these conditions. Overall, these data support the view that prenatal choline availability affects the sensitivity to the context in which gaps are inserted in the to-be-timed signal, thereby influencing whether rats run, stop, or reset their clocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalin V Buhusi
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29464, USA.
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Cheng RK, MacDonald CJ, Williams CL, Meck WH. Prenatal choline supplementation alters the timing, emotion, and memory performance (TEMP) of adult male and female rats as indexed by differential reinforcement of low-rate schedule behavior. Learn Mem 2008; 15:153-62. [PMID: 18323570 DOI: 10.1101/lm.729408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Choline availability in the maternal diet has a lasting effect on brain and behavior of the offspring. To further delineate the impact of early nutritional status, we examined effects of prenatal-choline supplementation on timing, emotion, and memory performance of adult male and female rats. Rats that were given sufficient choline (CON: 1.1 g/kg) or supplemental choline (SUP: 5.0 g/kg) during embryonic days (ED) 12-17 were trained with a differential reinforcement of low-rate (DRL) schedule that was gradually transitioned through 5-, 10-, 18-, 36-, and 72-sec criterion times. We observed that SUP-females emitted more reinforced responses than CON-females, which were more efficient than both groups of males. In addition, SUP-males and SUP-females exhibited a reduction in burst responding (response latencies <2 sec) compared with both groups of CON rats. Furthermore, despite a reduced level of burst responding, the SUP-males made more nonreinforced responses prior to the DRL criterion as a result of maintaining the previous DRL criterion following transition to a new criterion. In summary, long-lasting effects of prenatal-choline supplementation were exhibited by reduced frustrative DRL responding in conjunction with the persistence of temporal memory in SUP-males and enhanced temporal exploration and response efficiency in SUP-females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruey-Kuang Cheng
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Genome Sciences Research Building II, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
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24
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Meck WH. Acute ethanol potentiates the clock-speed enhancing effects of nicotine on timing and temporal memory. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2008; 31:2106-13. [PMID: 18034700 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00540.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute ethanol administration potentiates some of the behavioral effects of nicotine, although the extent of this effect is unknown. The present investigation assessed the ability of ethanol to potentiate nicotine's effect on the overestimation of multisecond durations as a result of an increase in the speed of an internal clock. METHODS Adult male rats were exposed to the acute effects of ethanol (0.0, 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 g/kg; IG) which was given 10 minutes prior to the administration of nicotine (0.0, 0.3, 0.6, and 1.0 mg/kg; IP). The effects of these combined treatments on timing and temporal memory were assessed using 18- and 36-second peak-interval procedures with separate visual/spatial cues for responding. RESULTS When administered alone, ethanol had no consistent effect on peak time, but decreased peak rate, and increased peak spread as a function of dose. In contrast, nicotine alone shifted the peak times of the response distributions leftward in a proportional manner as a function of dose. When administered after pretreatment with ethanol, nicotine's effect on the horizontal placement of the peak functions was potentiated. CONCLUSIONS The observation that ethanol pretreatment potentiates the clock-speed enhancing effects of subsequently administered nicotine is discussed in terms of the role of alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and dopamine-glutamate interactions in cortico-striatal circuits thought to subserve interval timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren H Meck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
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25
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Prenatal choline supplementation increases sensitivity to time by reducing non-scalar sources of variance in adult temporal processing. Brain Res 2007; 1186:242-54. [PMID: 17996223 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2007] [Revised: 10/01/2007] [Accepted: 10/03/2007] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Choline supplementation of the maternal diet has a long-term facilitative effect on timing and temporal memory of the offspring. To further delineate the impact of early nutritional status on interval timing, we examined effects of prenatal choline supplementation on the temporal sensitivity of adult (6 months) male rats. Rats that were given sufficient choline in their chow (CON: 1.1 g/kg) or supplemental choline added to their drinking water (SUP: 3.5 g/kg) during embryonic days (ED) 12-17 were trained with a peak-interval procedure that was shifted among 75%, 50%, and 25% probabilities of reinforcement with transitions from 18 s-->36 s-->72 s temporal criteria. Prenatal choline supplementation systematically sharpened interval timing functions by reducing the associative/non-temporal response enhancing effects of reinforcement probability on the Start response threshold, thereby reducing non-scalar sources of variance in the left-hand portion of the Gaussian-shaped response functions. No effect was observed for the Stop response threshold as a function of any of these manipulations. In addition, independence of peak time and peak rate was demonstrated as a function of reinforcement probability for both prenatal choline-supplemented and control rats. Overall, these results suggest that prenatal choline supplementation facilitates timing by reducing impulsive responding early in the interval, thereby improving the superimposition of peak functions for different temporal criteria.
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Cheng RK, Hakak OL, Meck WH. Habit formation and the loss of control of an internal clock: inverse relationship between the level of baseline training and the clock-speed enhancing effects of methamphetamine. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2007; 193:351-62. [PMID: 17464501 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-007-0783-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2006] [Accepted: 03/21/2007] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Drugs that modulate the effective level of dopamine (DA) in cortico-striatal circuits have been shown to alter the perception of time in the seconds-to-minutes range. How this relationship changes as a function of repeated experience with the reinforcement contingencies and the gradual adaptation of the underlying neural circuits remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study examined the clock-speed enhancing effects of methamphetamine (MAP 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg, ip) in groups of rats that received different levels of baseline training (20, 60, or 120 sessions) on a 50-s peak-interval (PI) procedure before initial drug administration. RESULTS A curvilinear relationship was observed such that rats that received either minimal or intermediate levels of training (<or=60 sessions) displayed dose- x training-related horizontal leftward shifts in their timing functions, suggesting that the speed of the internal clock was increased. In contrast, rats that had received an extended level of training (>or=120 sessions) did not show this "classic" DA agonist curve-shift effect, but instead displayed a dose-dependent disruption of temporal control after MAP administration. A transition from DA-sensitive to DA-insensitive mechanisms is proposed to account for the loss of control of clock speed, as timing behaviors associated with the PI procedure gradually become learned habits through the strengthening of DA-glutamate connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruey-Kuang Cheng
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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Matell MS, Bateson M, Meck WH. Single-trials analyses demonstrate that increases in clock speed contribute to the methamphetamine-induced horizontal shifts in peak-interval timing functions. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2006; 188:201-12. [PMID: 16937099 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0489-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2006] [Accepted: 06/18/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Drugs that increase dopamine (DA) transmission have been shown to produce an overestimation of time in duration production procedures as exhibited by horizontal leftward shifts of the psychophysical functions. However, the generality of these results has been inconsistent in the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present report evaluates the effects of five doses of methamphetamine (MAP) (0.5-1.5 mg/kg, i.p.) on two duration production procedures, the single duration peak-interval (PI) procedure and the multiduration tri-peak procedure in rats. RESULTS We replicated and extended prior results by showing a dose-dependent proportional overestimation of time that was equivalent on both procedures (i.e., subjects behaved as though they expected reinforcement to be available earlier in real time). Single-trials analyses demonstrated that the reduction in peak rate that is often observed after MAP administration is due to an increase in the proportion of trials in which responding occurred at very low rates and without temporal control. However, these low-rate trials were not the source of the leftward shift in the temporal estimates. Rather, we found that the leftward shift of the PI functions was due to proportional changes in the placement of temporally controlled high-rate responding, which is consistent with a DA-mediated alteration in clock speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Matell
- Department of Psychology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA.
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28
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Cheng RK, Meck WH, Williams CL. alpha7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and temporal memory: synergistic effects of combining prenatal choline and nicotine on reinforcement-induced resetting of an interval clock. Learn Mem 2006; 13:127-34. [PMID: 16547161 PMCID: PMC1409834 DOI: 10.1101/lm.31506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2005] [Accepted: 12/06/2005] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We previously showed that prenatal choline supplementation could increase the precision of timing and temporal memory and facilitate simultaneous temporal processing in mature and aged rats. In the present study, we investigated the ability of adult rats to selectively control the reinforcement-induced resetting of an internal clock as a function of prenatal drug treatments designed to affect the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha7 nAChR). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to prenatal choline (CHO), nicotine (NIC), methyllycaconitine (MLA), choline + nicotine (CHO + NIC), choline + nicotine + methyllycaconitine (CHO + NIC + MLA), or a control treatment (CON). Beginning at 4-mo-of-age, rats were trained on a peak-interval timing procedure in which food was available at 10-, 30-, and 90-sec criterion durations. At steady-state performance there were no differences in timing accuracy, precision, or resetting among the CON, MLA, and CHO + NIC + MLA treatments. It was observed that the CHO and NIC treatments produced a small, but significant increase in timing precision, but no change in accuracy or resetting. In contrast, the CHO + NIC prenatal treatment produced a dramatic increase in timing precision and selective control of the resetting mechanism with no change in overall timing accuracy. The synergistic effect of combining prenatal CHO and NIC treatments suggests an organizational change in alpha7 nAChR function that is dependent upon a combination of selective and nonselective nAChR stimulation during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruey-Kuang Cheng
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
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29
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Buhusi CV, Meck WH. Interval timing with gaps and distracters: Evaluation of the ambiguity, switch, and time-sharing hypotheses. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 32:329-38. [PMID: 16834500 DOI: 10.1037/0097-7403.32.3.329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Gaps and distracters were presented during the timed signal to examine whether the stop/reset mechanism is activated by (a) changes in the timed signal (switch hypothesis), (b) ITI-like events (ambiguity hypothesis), or (c) processes concurrent with the timing process (time-sharing hypothesis). While the switch and ambiguity hypotheses predict that rats should time through (ignore) distracters, the time-sharing hypothesis predicts that extraneous events (e.g., gaps and distracters) delay timing by causing working memory to decay in proportion to the events' salience. The authors found that response functions were displaced by both gaps and distracters, in accord with the time-sharing hypothesis. Computer simulations show that the time-sharing and memory-decay hypotheses can mechanistically address present data, and reflect different levels of the same model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalin V Buhusi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-91050, USA.
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30
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Abstract
All animals have at least two different internal clocks, one governing cognition of time of day, and the other concerning awareness of seconds and minutes. In the latter case, organisms show scalar properties. The timing mechanisms in the brain may function similarly throughout the animal kingdom, but this is not yet clear. Previous studies have shown that the hippocampus is intricately involved with the process of interval timing. Data concerning electrophysiological field potentials in the hippocampus show obviously rhythmic activity, known as hippocampal theta activity. An information-processing model of interval timing postulates three distinct stages: a clock, a memory, and a decision stage /11/. The timing process includes memory processing, which means that the hippocampus works together with working memory to estimate current time passing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Sakata
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
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31
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MacDonald CJ, Meck WH. Differential effects of clozapine and haloperidol on interval timing in the supraseconds range. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005; 182:232-44. [PMID: 16001114 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-005-0074-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2005] [Accepted: 03/13/2005] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The effects of clozapine (0.6, 1.2, and 2.4 mg/kg) and haloperidol (0.03, 0.06, and 0.12 mg/kg) on the timing of 10, 30, and 90-s intervals were characterized in rats. Each drug's effect on timing behavior was assessed following intraperitoneal injections using a variant of the peak-interval procedure. Although haloperidol proportionately shifted peak times rightward in a manner consistent with a decrease in clock speed, clozapine exerted the opposite effect and proportionately shifted peak times leftward in a manner consistent with an increase in clock speed. These results support the proposal that typical antipsychotic drugs such as haloperidol and atypical antipsychotic drugs such as clozapine exert differential effects on dopaminergic, serotonergic, and glutamatergic systems within the cortex and striatum, two brain regions shown to be crucial for interval timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J MacDonald
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke University, Genome Sciences Research Building II, 3rd Floor, P.O. Box 91050, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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32
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Buhusi CV, Perera D, Meck WH. Memory for Timing Visual and Auditory Signals in Albino and Pigmented Rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 31:18-30. [PMID: 15656724 DOI: 10.1037/0097-7403.31.1.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The authors hypothesized that during a gap in a timed signal, the time accumulated during the pregap interval decays at a rate proportional to the perceived salience of the gap, influenced by sensory acuity and signal intensity. When timing visual signals, albino (Sprague-Dawley) rats, which have poor visual acuity, stopped timing irrespective of gap duration, whereas pigmented (Long-Evans) rats, which have good visual acuity, stopped timing for short gaps but reset timing for long gaps. Pigmented rats stopped timing during a gap in a low-intensity visual signal and reset after a gap in a high-intensity visual signal, suggesting that memory for time in the gap procedure varies with the perceived salience of the gap, possibly through an attentional mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalin V Buhusi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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Baldwin RL, Chelonis JJ, Flake RA, Edwards MC, Feild CR, Meaux JB, Paule MG. Effect of methylphenidate on time perception in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2004; 12:57-64. [PMID: 14769100 DOI: 10.1037/1064-1297.12.1.57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on performance of a time-production task were studied in 17 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who participated in 1 test session on and 1 off MPH. Participants held a response lever down for at least 10 but no longer than 14 s. Administration of MPH had no effect on the number of correct responses or on the mean duration of lever holds. MPH administration significantly decreased timing response variability, increased holds of 10- to 11-s duration, and decreased lever holds of extremely short durations. These results indicate that administration of MPH resulted in more precise timing performance without changing the mean duration of lever holds, suggesting an enhancement in working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald L Baldwin
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences--Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA.
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Buhusi CV, Sasaki A, Meck WH. Temporal integration as a function of signal and gap intensity in rats (Rattus norvegicus) and pigeons (Columba livia). J Comp Psychol 2002; 116:381-90. [PMID: 12539934 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.116.4.381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Previous data suggest that rats (Rattus norvegicus) and pigeons (Columba livia) use different interval-timing strategies when a gap interrupts a to-be-timed signal: Rats stop timing during the gap, and pigeons reset their timing mechanism after the gap. To examine whether the response rule is controlled by an attentional mechanism dependent on the characteristics of the stimuli, the authors manipulated the intensity of the signal and gap when rats and pigeons timed in the gap procedure. Results suggest that both rats and pigeons stop timing during a nonsalient gap and reset timing after a salient gap. These results also suggest that both species use similar interval-timing mechanisms, influenced by nontemporal characteristics of the signal and gap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalin V Buhusi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0086, USA.
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35
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Buhusi CV, Meck WH. Differential effects of methamphetamine and haloperidol on the control of an internal clock. Behav Neurosci 2002; 116:291-7. [PMID: 11996314 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.116.2.291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Humans and animals process temporal information as if they were using an internal stopwatch that can be stopped and reset, and whose speed is adjustable. Previous data suggest that dopaminergic drugs affect the speed of this internal stopwatch. Using a paradigm in which rats have to filter out the gaps that (sometimes) interrupted timing, the authors found that methamphetamine and haloperidol also affect the stop and reset mechanism of the internal clock, possibly by modulating attentional components that are dependent on the content and salience of the timed events. This is the first report of both clock and attentional effects of dopaminergic drugs on interval timing in the same experimental setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalin V Buhusi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, North Carolina 27708-0086, USA
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