title: A novel variable delay Go/No-Go task to study attention, motivation and working memory in the head-fixed rodent.
abstract: In order to parse the causal elements underlying complex behaviors and decision-making processes, appropriate behavioral methods must be developed and used in concurrence with molecular, pharmacological, and electrophysiological approaches. Presented is a protocol for a novel Go/No-Go behavioral paradigm to study the brain attention and motivation/reward circuitry in awake, head-restrained rodents. This experimental setup allows: (1) Pharmacological and viral manipulation of various brain regions via targeted guide cannula; (2) Optogenetic cell-type specific activation and silencing with simultaneous electrophysiological recording and; (3) Repeated electrophysiological single and multiple unit recordings during ongoing behavior. The task consists of three components. The subject first makes an observing response by initiating a trial by lever pressing in response to distinctive Go or No-Go tones.  Then, after a variable delay period, the subject is presented with a challenge period cued by white noise during which they must respond with a lever press for the Go condition or withhold from lever pressing for the duration of the cue in the No-Go condition. After correctly responding during the challenge period (Challenge) and a brief delay, a final reward tone of the same frequency as the initiation tone is presented and sucrose reward delivery is available and contingent upon lever pressing. Here, we provide a novel procedure and validating data set that allows researchers to study and manipulate components of behavior such as attention, motivation, impulsivity, and reward-related working memory during an ongoing operant behavioral task while limiting interference from non task-related behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA ; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA.
authors.forename: Samuel D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Dolzani
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA ; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA.
authors.forename: Donald C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Cooper
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