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The application of the 5-choice serial reaction time task for the assessment of visual attentional processes and impulse control in rats

Nature Protocols volume 3, pages 759–767 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

One popular way of measuring visual attentional processes in the rat is using 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT). This paradigm requires subjects to detect brief flashes of light presented in a pseudorandom order in one of five spatial locations over a large number of trials. For this task, the animals are trained for ∼30–40 daily sessions during which they gradually learn to respond in the appropriate aperture within a certain amount of time. If they fail to respond, respond in the wrong hole or at an inappropriate time, a short period of darkness (time-out) is presented as punishment and no reward is delivered. The 5-CSRTT provides the possibility to test the effects of various neural, pharmacological and behavioral manipulations on discrete and somewhat independent measures of behavioral control, including accuracy of discrimination, impulsivity, perseverative responses and response latencies.

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Figure 1: Possible trial sequences of the 5-choice serial reaction time task.
Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the 5-choice serial reaction time task chamber showing the spatial arrangement of the five response apertures in relation to the food magazine.
Figure 3: Principal components of the 5-choice serial reaction time task apparatus (commercial supplier: Med Associates, St. Albans, VT).

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a Wellcome Trust programme grant (076274/z/04/z) and completed within the Cambridge University Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, supported by a joint award from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Wellcome Trust. A.B. was supported by an MRC studentship. The authors thank Dr Y. Pelloux and Mr D.E. Theobald for assistance.

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  1. Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK

    Andrea Bari, Jeffrey W Dalley & Trevor W Robbins

  2. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK

    Andrea Bari, Jeffrey W Dalley & Trevor W Robbins

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2QQ, UK

    Jeffrey W Dalley

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Correspondence to Trevor W Robbins.

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A.B. and J.W.D. declare that they have no competing financial interests. T.W.R. declares that over the past 3 years he has received honorariums from Solvay Pharmaceuticals (Weesp, The Netherlands), Microsoft, Merck, Sharp and Dohme, Lundbeck, and as Editor of Psychopharmacology. T.W.R. also acts as consultant for Glaxo Smith Kline, Eli Lilly Inc. and Allon Therapeutics, and has shares and share options in CeNeS, Cambridge Cognition and Allon Therapeutics. T.W.R. holds research grants with Pfizer and Glaxo Smith Kline.

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Supplementary Video 1

Example of a trained rat doing part of the task with standard baseline parameters (MP4 11035 kb)

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Bari, A., Dalley, J. & Robbins, T. The application of the 5-choice serial reaction time task for the assessment of visual attentional processes and impulse control in rats. Nat Protoc 3, 759–767 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2008.41

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