scholarly journals Cortical processing of chemosensory and hedonic features of taste in active licking mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Bouaichi ◽  
Roberto Vincis
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Stereotyped Behavior ◽  
Neural Dynamics ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Neural Processing ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule ◽  
Gustatory Cortex ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Taste Processing ◽  
To Receive

ABSTRACTIn the last two decades, a considerable amount of work has been devoted to investigating the neural processing and dynamics of the primary taste cortex of rats. Surprisingly, much less information is available on cortical taste electrophysiology in awake mice, an animal model that is taking a more prominent role in taste research. Here we present electrophysiological evidence demonstrating how the gustatory cortex (GC) encodes information pertaining the basic taste qualities (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter) when stimuli are actively sampled through licking, the stereotyped behavior by which mice control the access of fluids in the mouth. Mice were trained to receive each stimulus on a fixed ratio schedule in which they had to lick a dry spout six times to receive a tastant on the seventh lick. Electrophysiological recordings confirmed that GC neurons encode both chemosensory and hedonic aspects of actively sampled tastants. In addition, our data revealed two other main findings; GC neurons encoded information about taste identity in as little as 120 ms. Consistent with the ability of GC neurons to rapidly encode taste information, nearly half of the recorded neurons exhibited spiking activity that was entrained to licking at rates up to 8 Hz. Overall, our results highlight how the GC of mice processes tastants when they are actively sensed through licking, reaffirming and expanding our knowledge on cortical taste processing.NEW & NOTEWORTHYRelatively little information is available on the neural dynamics of taste processing in the mouse gustatory cortex (GC). In this study we investigate how the GC encodes information of the qualities and hedonics of a broad panel of gustatory stimuli when tastants are actively sampled through licking. Our results show that the GC neurons broadly encode taste qualities but also process taste hedonics and licking information in a temporally dynamic manner.

Food preferences of sheep

1981 ◽  
Vol 21 (113) ◽  
pp. 575 ◽  
Author(s):  
GD Hutson ◽  
SCvan Mourik
Keyword(s):  
Operant Conditioning ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule ◽  
Handling System ◽  
Preferred Foods ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Preference Tests

Sixty-two foods were offered to four sheep as a supplement to a maintenance diet of chaffed hay. The most attractive foods were grains and seeds, followed by processed cereals, fruit and vegetables, and sweets. Twelve of the most attractive foods were then offered in pairs to 12 sheep in a series of preference tests. All possible combinations of pairs were tested. The most highly preferred foods were barley, peas, wheat and a commercial horse ration. An operant conditioning technique was used to determine whether sheep would work to obtain a food reward. Six sheep were trained to press a panel to receive a food reward. The highest ratio of presses to rewards reached on a progressive fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement was used as a measure of reward strength. The highest rates of response were obtained with barley and wheat. Both barley and wheat appear to be highly preferred foods of sheep and would be suitable reinforcements to use in the development of a reward-based handling system for sheep.

A note on the preference of sheep for whole or crushed grains and seeds

1984 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Hutson ◽  
P. N. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Operant Conditioning ◽  
Food Reward ◽  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule ◽  
Schedule Of Reinforcement ◽  
Preferred Foods ◽  
Reinforcement Value ◽  
To Receive

ABSTRACTAn operant conditioning technique was used to determine whether the reinforcement value of grains and seeds preferred by sheep could be increased by crushing the food. Five sheep were trained to press a plate to receive a food reward. The rate of pressing on a progressive fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement was used as a measure of reinforcement value. Five foods were tested: barley, wheat, oats, lupins and peas. Crushing the foods had no effect on rate of pressing, whereas there was a great deal of variation between sheep and between foods. The preferred foods were wheat and barley.

Counting Behavior in Baboons: An Error-Contingency Reinforcement Schedule

1967 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter K. Levison ◽  
Jack D. Findley
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Schedule ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule

2 baboons were trained to “count” by requiring the generation of specific numbers of tones associated with different visual stimuli. Performance was reinforced by food pellets on a fixed-ratio schedule of correctly-counted problem stimuli. After accurate and stable counting was obtained, reinforcement was made contingent upon the occurrence of at least one incorrectly-performed problem in the fixed-ratio sequence, in addition to the required number of correct solutions. Counting performances adjusted appropriately to the error contingency and prior levels of accuracy were readily recovered after the contingency was removed.

scholarly journals Cortical processing of chemosensory and hedonic features of taste in active licking mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 1995-2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia G. Bouaichi ◽  
Roberto Vincis
Keyword(s):  
Neural Dynamics ◽  
Cortical Processing ◽  
Gustatory Cortex ◽  
Basic Taste ◽  
Taste Processing

Relatively little information is available on the neural dynamics of taste processing in the mouse gustatory cortex (GC). In this study we investigate how the GC encodes chemosensory and palatability features of a wide panel of gustatory stimuli when actively sampled through licking. Our results show that GC neurons broadly encode basic taste qualities but also process taste hedonics and licking information in a temporally dynamic manner.

Transfer of Persistence to the Acquisition of a New Behaviour

1979 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 691-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Eisenberger ◽  
Jeffrey Carlson ◽  
Michael Frank
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Conditioning Chamber ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule ◽  
High Effort

Two experiments tested whether the degree of effort required for the reinforcement of one behaviour would affect the acquisition of a second behaviour. In the first experiment, rats were placed in a conditioning chamber and: (a) were required to press a lever for food pellets on a fixed ratio schedule, (b) received free presentation of the pellets, or (c) did not receive pellets. Next, all rats were rewarded for a new behaviour, round trips across the length of a runway. As predicted, the fixed-ratio group had the greatest shuttle rate. In the second experiment, two groups were required to press a lever, and the number of presses per pellet was varied. For two other groups not required to press the lever, the amount of food presented per approach to the feeder was varied. The greater required number of lever presses and the lesser number of pellets per approach to the feeder produced the higher subsequent shuttle rates. Two alternative explanations were compared: the degree of accustomed effort per reinforcer becomes a learned component of behaviour, or high effort increases the habituation of frustration-produced disruptive responses.

Increasing Slowed Operant Responding of Schizophrenics under a Fixed-Ratio Schedule of Reinforcement

1981 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 579-582
Author(s):  
Harold Weiner
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Ratio ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Ratio Schedule ◽  
Fixed Ratio Schedule ◽  
Operant Responding ◽  
Schedule Of Reinforcement ◽  
Minimum Number

Two procedures were evaluated in terms of their ability to modify the slowed responding of schizophrenics under an FR 40 schedule. FR 40 response rates increased when schizophrenics were instructed to earn a minimum number of reinforcements or to imitate the rate of responding of someone shown earning that minimum number of reinforcements. The greater increase in FR 40 responding occurred under the latter procedure.

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