Toward a rodent model of the Iowa gambling task.
The Iowa gambling task in humans is, in principle, suited for the study of the long-term efficiency of behavior in a biologically relevant context. Key features of this task are uncertainty of outcomes and a conflict between the immediate and the long-term payoff options. Animal models allow us to study the underlying neurobiology of decision-making processes and the long-term efficiency of behavior in more detail and at a greater depth than is possible in humans. Therefore, we set out to develop a model of this task in rodents, using the task's key features. In this article, we describe the results of the first series of experiments with rats and mice. The data thus far suggest that mice and rats behave in a way similar to humans; that is, they tend to choose the option with the best long-term payoff more often as the test progresses.
van den Bos
Ruud
R
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ethology and Welfare, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, NL-3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands. r.vandenbos@vet.uu.nl
Lasthuis
Wilma
W
den Heijer
Esther
E
van der Harst
Johanneke
J
Spruijt
Berry
B
D000818:Animals; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D005715:Gambling; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D023421:Models, Animal; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012737:Sex Factors; D013045:Species Specificity