title: Stress impairs optimal behavior in a water foraging choice task in rats.
abstract: Stress is a biologically significant social-environmental factor that plays a pervasive role in influencing human and animal behaviors. While stress effects on various types of memory are well characterized, its effects on other cognitive functions are relatively unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of acute, uncontrollable stress on subsequent decision-making performance in rats, using a computer vision-based water foraging choice task. Experiencing stress significantly impaired the animals' ability to progressively bias (but not maintain) their responses toward the larger reward when transitioning from equal to unequal reward quantities. Temporary inactivation of the amygdala during stress, however, blocked impairing effects on decision making.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1525, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Taejib
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Jeansok J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012201:Reward; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D014867:Water; D003345:Corticosterone