The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance
Sleep deprivation (SD) causes significant deficits in multiple aspects of cognition, including sustained attention and working memory. Investigating the neural processes underpinning these cognitive losses has proven challenging due to the confounds of current animal tasks; many employ appetitive or...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451994422000074 |
| _version_ | 1798039896875597824 |
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| author | Callum Foakes Darian Lawrence-Sidebottom Aseru T. Dralega Daniel O. Harvey Michelle A. Schmidt Christopher J. Davis |
| author_facet | Callum Foakes Darian Lawrence-Sidebottom Aseru T. Dralega Daniel O. Harvey Michelle A. Schmidt Christopher J. Davis |
| author_sort | Callum Foakes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sleep deprivation (SD) causes significant deficits in multiple aspects of cognition, including sustained attention and working memory. Investigating the neural processes underpinning these cognitive losses has proven challenging due to the confounds of current animal tasks; many employ appetitive or aversive stimuli to motivate behavior, while others lack task complexity that translates to human studies of executive function. We established the Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) to circumvent these issues. The LAST is performed in a circular, open-field arena that requires rats to find an unmarked, quasi-randomly positioned target. Constant low-level floor vibrations motivate ambulation, while light intensity (determined by the rodent's proximity to the target destination) provides continuous visual feedback. The task has two paradigms that differ based on the relationship between the light intensity and target proximity: the Low Lux Target (LLT) paradigm and the High Lux Target paradigm (HLT). In this study, on days 1–6, the rats completed nine trials per day on one of the two paradigms. On day 7, the rats were either sleep deprived by gentle handling or were left undisturbed before undertaking the opposite (reversal) paradigm on days 7–9. Our results showed that SD significantly impeded the ability of Long Evans rats to learn the reversal paradigm, as indicated by increased times to target and increased failure percentages compared to rats whose sleep was undisturbed. Rats also showed reduced learning with the HLT paradigm, as the initial task or as the reversal task, likely due to the rodents' photophobia limiting their motivation to navigate toward a bright light, which is required to succeed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T22:00:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fab09125f29c41bca19f67e9cc6f7414 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2451-9944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T22:00:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms |
| spelling | doaj.art-fab09125f29c41bca19f67e9cc6f74142022-12-22T04:00:58ZengElsevierNeurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms2451-99442022-11-0113100081The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performanceCallum Foakes0Darian Lawrence-Sidebottom1Aseru T. Dralega2Daniel O. Harvey3Michelle A. Schmidt4Christopher J. Davis5Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, USAElson S. Floyd College of Medicine and Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, USAElson S. Floyd College of Medicine and Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, USAElson S. Floyd College of Medicine and Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, USAElson S. Floyd College of Medicine and Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, USACorresponding author.; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and Sleep and Performance Research Center, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, USASleep deprivation (SD) causes significant deficits in multiple aspects of cognition, including sustained attention and working memory. Investigating the neural processes underpinning these cognitive losses has proven challenging due to the confounds of current animal tasks; many employ appetitive or aversive stimuli to motivate behavior, while others lack task complexity that translates to human studies of executive function. We established the Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) to circumvent these issues. The LAST is performed in a circular, open-field arena that requires rats to find an unmarked, quasi-randomly positioned target. Constant low-level floor vibrations motivate ambulation, while light intensity (determined by the rodent's proximity to the target destination) provides continuous visual feedback. The task has two paradigms that differ based on the relationship between the light intensity and target proximity: the Low Lux Target (LLT) paradigm and the High Lux Target paradigm (HLT). In this study, on days 1–6, the rats completed nine trials per day on one of the two paradigms. On day 7, the rats were either sleep deprived by gentle handling or were left undisturbed before undertaking the opposite (reversal) paradigm on days 7–9. Our results showed that SD significantly impeded the ability of Long Evans rats to learn the reversal paradigm, as indicated by increased times to target and increased failure percentages compared to rats whose sleep was undisturbed. Rats also showed reduced learning with the HLT paradigm, as the initial task or as the reversal task, likely due to the rodents' photophobia limiting their motivation to navigate toward a bright light, which is required to succeed.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451994422000074LightCognitionRodent modelsAttentionSleep lossCognitive flexibility |
| spellingShingle | Callum Foakes Darian Lawrence-Sidebottom Aseru T. Dralega Daniel O. Harvey Michelle A. Schmidt Christopher J. Davis The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms Light Cognition Rodent models Attention Sleep loss Cognitive flexibility |
| title | The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance |
| title_full | The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance |
| title_fullStr | The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance |
| title_short | The rat Lux Actuating Search Task (LAST) and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance |
| title_sort | rat lux actuating search task last and effects of sleep deprivation on task reversal performance |
| topic | Light Cognition Rodent models Attention Sleep loss Cognitive flexibility |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451994422000074 |
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