Preference paradigm: provides better self-stimulation reward discrimination than a rate-dependent paradigm.
To obtain a better understanding of how well the Y-maze preference test paradigm indexes electrical brain stimulation reward, the present experiment compared the abilities of this rate-independent paradigm and a rate-dependent paradigm to assess the rewarding effectiveness of brain stimulation. The rate-dependent paradigm used was an operant chamber. The results showed that over a wide range of stimulation parameters the rate-independent paradigm provided a better assessment of the rewarding effectiveness of the brain stimulation than did the rate-dependent paradigm.
D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D007026:Hypothalamic Area, Lateral / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011601:Psychophysics; D011603:Psychophysiology / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D012201:Reward; D012653:Self Stimulation / Q000502:physiology*