Pro-social preference in an automated operant two-choice reward task under different housing conditions: Exploratory studies on pro-social decision making

Jiska Kentrop, Aikaterini Kalamari, Chiara Hinna Danesi, John J. Kentrop, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian Joëls, Rixt van der Veen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to develop a behavioral task that measures pro-social decision making in rats. A fully automated, operant pro-social two-choice task is introduced that quantifies pro-social preferences for a mutual food reward in a set-up with tightly controlled task contingencies. Pairs of same-sex adult Wistar rats were placed in an operant chamber divided into two compartments (one rat per compartment), separated by a transparent barrier with holes that allowed the rats to see, hear, smell, but not touch each other. Test rats could earn a sucrose pellet either for themselves (own reward) or for themselves and the partner (both reward) by means of lever pressing. On average, male rats showed a 60 % preference for the lever that yielded a food reward for both themselves and their partner. In contrast, females did not show lever preference, regardless of the estrous cycle phase. Next, the impact of juvenile environmental factors on male rat social decision making was studied. Males were group-housed from postnatal day 26 onwards in complex housing Marlau™ cages that provided social and physical enrichment and stimulation in the form of novelty. Complex housed males did not show a preference for the pro-social lever.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100827
Pages (from-to)1-11
Number of pages11
JournalDevelopmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Volume45
Early online date18 Jul 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2020

Funding

This work was supported by the Consortium on Individual Development (CID) , which is funded through the Gravitation program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture , and Science and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO grant number 024.001.003 ). M.J. Bakermans-Kranenburg was supported by the European Research Council (ERC AdG 669249 ); M.H. van IJzendoorn was supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (Spinoza Prize). The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any personal, professional or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

FundersFunder number
Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture , and Science
Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science
European Research Council669249
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek024.001.003

    Keywords

    • Complex housing
    • Food reward
    • Pro-social decision making
    • Rats
    • Social development
    • Two-choice operant task

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