Differences in developing the lever-pressing behavior in two strains of rats.
Learning to lever-press for food in rats may be experimentally analyzed according to (a) association of lever-pressing with food reinforcement; (b) development of the behavior of lever-pressing. The latter was studied in two strains of rats with a high or low level of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) in erythrocytes. Twelve males from each strain, previously trained to lever-press, were used. The rate of responding increased faster with repeated training-testing sessions in the High Strain than in the Low-Strain under the CRF and the FR 10 schedule. The genetic difference in the DPG level in erythrocytes and the resultant long term difference in oxygen transport capability may be a significant factor contributing to the behavioral differences in these two strains.
D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004163:Diphosphoglyceric Acids / Q000097:blood; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000032:analysis; D005508:Food Deprivation; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D008297:Male; D008967:Molecular Biology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
D004163:Diphosphoglyceric Acids; D003913:Dextroamphetamine