title: Impaired instrumental choice in crib-biting horses (Equus caballus).
abstract: Horses displaying an oral stereotypy were tested on an instrumental choice paradigm to examine differences in learning from non-stereotypic counterparts. Stereotypic horses are known to have dysfunction of the dorsomedial striatum, and lesion studies have shown that this region may mediate response-outcome learning. The paradigm was specifically applied in order to examine learning that requires maintenance of response-outcome judgements. The non-stereotypic horses learned, over three sessions, to choose a more immediate reinforcer, whereas the stereotypic horses failed to do so. This suggests an initial behavioural correlate for dorsomedial striatum dysregulation in the stereotypy phenotype.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, Hampshire SO17 1BJ, UK. matthew.parker@soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Edward S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Redhead
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.forename: Sebastian D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: McBride
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006736:Horses; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000502:physiology*