title: A computerized system for the simultaneous monitoring of place conditioning and locomotor activity in rats.
abstract: Place conditioning is one of the most popular behavioral methods for assessing the rewarding properties of various substances. Many substances that are rewarding also influence motor activity. This report describes a computerized system designed to simultaneously monitor both place conditioning and locomotor activity. The system consists of 4 independent conditioning boxes, each equipped with 6 pairs of photosensors connected to an Experiment Controller, an electronic board containing a microprocessor, a programable timer, and 16 K of RAM used to store both instructions and data. The effects of the stimulant (+)-amphetamine were assessed using this system and found to produce a place preference comparable to that obtained from a previously utilized mechanical timer system. The computerized system also demonstrated that amphetamine increased unconditioned activity. There are a number of advantages and broader applications of the new methodology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Brockwell
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Beninger
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D003201:Computers; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004777:Environment; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D012201:Reward
chemical_list: D003913:Dextroamphetamine