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Establishing operant conflict tests for the translational study of anxiety in mice

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Abstract

Rationale

In conflict-based anxiety tests, rodents decide between actions with simultaneous rewarding and aversive outcomes. In humans, computerised operant conflict tests have identified response choice, latency, and vigour as distinct behavioural components. Animal operant conflict tests for measurement of these components would facilitate translational study.

Objectives

In C57BL/6 mice, two operant conflict tests for measurement of response choice, latency, and vigour were established, and effects of chlordiazepoxide (CDZ) thereon investigated.

Methods

Mice were moderately diet-restricted to increase sucrose reward salience. A 1-lever test required responding under medium-effort reward/threat conditions of variable ratio 2–10 resulting in sucrose at p = 0.7 and footshock at p = 0.3. A 2-lever test mandated a choice between low-effort reward/threat with a fixed-ratio (FR) 2 lever yielding sucrose at p = 0.7 and footshock at p = 0.3 versus high-effort reward/no threat with a FR 20 lever yielding sucrose at p = 1.

Results

In the 1-lever test, CDZ (7.5 or 15 mg/kg i.p.) reduced post-trial pause (response latency) following either sucrose or footshock and reduced inter-response interval (increased response vigour) after footshock. In the 2-lever test, mice favoured the FR2 lever and particularly at post-reward trials. CDZ increased choice of FR2 and FR20 responding after footshock, reduced response latency overall, and increased response vigour at the FR2 lever and after footshock specifically.

Conclusions

Mouse operant conflict tests, especially 2-lever choice, allow for the translational study of distinct anxiety components. CDZ influences each component by ameliorating the impact of both previous punishment and potential future punishment.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Björn Henz and Alex Osei for animal care. The experiments comply with the current laws of Switzerland.

Funding

This research was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant 31003A-160147 to CRP).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Dominik R. Bach and Christopher R. Pryce contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Preclinical Laboratory for Translational Research into Affective Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, August Forel-Strasse 7, CH-8008, Zurich, Switzerland

    Sara Oberrauch, Hannes Sigrist & Christopher R. Pryce

  2. TSE Systems GmbH, Siemensstrasse 21, D-61352, Bad Homburg, Germany

    Eva Sautter

  3. Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland

    Samuel Gerster & Dominik R. Bach

Authors
  1. Sara Oberrauch
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  2. Hannes Sigrist
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  3. Eva Sautter
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  4. Samuel Gerster
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  5. Dominik R. Bach
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  6. Christopher R. Pryce
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher R. Pryce.

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ES is an employee of TSE Systems, Germany. All remaining authors declare no competing interests.

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This article belongs to a Special Issue on Translational Computational Psychopharmacology

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Oberrauch, S., Sigrist, H., Sautter, E. et al. Establishing operant conflict tests for the translational study of anxiety in mice. Psychopharmacology 236, 2527–2541 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05315-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05315-y

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