Premature responses in the five-choice serial reaction time task reflect rodents' temporal strategies: evidence from no-light and pharmacological challenges.
Zackary A Cope, Adam L. Halberstadt, Jordy Van Enkhuizen, Aaron D Flynn, Michelle Breier, Neal R. Swerdlow, Mark A. Geyer, Jared W Young
Psychopharmacology October 2016 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4389-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Behavioral and pharmacological study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats and mice |
| Intervention | Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | 5-csrtt 5c-cpt Attention Impulsivity Response inhibition Temporal perception |
| Key points | Rats responded on roughly 60% of no-light trials versus about 40% in mice, indicating greater reliance on a temporal strategy, and rats made more premature responses than mice. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol slowed temporal perception and reduced premature responses. The authors conclude that premature responses are heavily influenced by temporal perception and may reflect waiting impulsivity, but not response disinhibition. |
Abstract
The five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) is regularly used to study attention and impulsivity. In the 5-CSRTT, rodents initiate a trial, then after an inter-trial interval (ITI), a light appears in one of five holes. Responding in the lit vs. unlit hole reflects attention (accuracy), while responding prematurely before a light appears is suggested to reflect impulsivity/response disinhibition. Comparison of rat and mouse 5-CSRTT performance has raised questions on the validity of premature responses as measuring impulsivity/response inhibition. To minimize effort, rodents may use a temporal strategy, enabling their "timing" of the ITI, minimizing the need to attend during this delay. Greater reliance on this strategy could result in premature responses due to "guesses" if their timing was poor/altered. To assess the degree to which rats and/or mice utilize a temporal strategy, we challenged performance using infrequent no-light trials during 5-CSRTT performance. Even when no light appeared when one was expected, rats responded ~60 % compared to ~40 % in mice, indicating a greater reliance on a temporal strategy by rats than by mice. Consistent with this hypothesis, rats made more premature responses than mice. Additional studies using a temporal discrimination task and a 5-CSRTT variant demonstrated that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis, slowed temporal perception and reduced premature responses. These data provide behavioral and pharmacological evidence indicating that premature responses are heavily influenced by temporal perception. Hence, they may reflect an aspect of waiting impulsivity, but not response disinhibition, an important distinction for translational clinical research.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Effects of ketamine optical isomers, psilocybin, psilocin and norpsilocin on time estimation and cognition in rats Psychopharmacology March 2, 2022
- Evidence for pro-cognitive benefits of cannabinoids in people with bipolar disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology July 21, 2026
- Effects of ketamine optical isomers, fluoxetine and naloxone on timing in differential reinforcement of low-rate response (DRL) 72-s task in rats. European Neuropsychopharmacology February 2023
- The Effects of Cariprazine and Aripiprazole on PCP-Induced Deficits on Attention Assessed in the 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task Psychopharmacology February 22, 2018
- The renaissance in psychedelic research: What do preclinical models have to offer. Progress in Brain Research 2018
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