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Investigating the psychopharmacology of cognitive affective bias in rats using an affective tone discrimination task

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Abstract

Rationale

Affective states are known to influence behaviour in humans resulting in cognitive affective biases, which may play an important role in the development and treatment of mood disorders. Similar biases have recently been shown in animals, including the rat, providing an opportunity to investigate these processes in non-human species.

Objective

This study sought to investigate the psychopharmacology of cognitive affective bias in rats using systemic treatments with anxiolytic (diazepam) and antidepressant drugs (reboxetine or fluoxetine).

Methods

Lister hooded rats were trained to discriminate two distinct tones and respond on the appropriate lever to either obtain reward (food) or avoid punishment (mild foot shock). Cognitive affective bias, following acute or chronic drug treatment, was investigated using test sessions where both reference tones and intermediate ambiguous tones were included.

Results

Rats exhibited a negative judgement bias under vehicle conditions which was not significantly attenuated by any of the acute drug treatments, diazepam (0.3, 1.0 mg/kg), reboxetine (0.3–3.0 mg/kg) or fluoxetine 0.1–1.0 mg/kg). Acute reboxetine induced a significant and dose-dependent decrease in the anticipation of reward. Chronic treatment with fluoxetine tended to reduce the negative bias observed in the rats after 1 week of treatment although no significant main effect of treatment was observed.

Conclusions

The results from these initial psychopharmacological studies show that drug treatments can differentially affect motivation to respond to cues associated with reward versus punishment. Our data also suggest that cognitive affective bias, quantified using this method, may be sensitive to chronic but not acute antidepressant treatment.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) PhD studentships awarded to MHA; the BBSRC had no further role in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data; in the writing of the report; and the decision to submit the paper for publication. ESJR was funded by a Research Councils UK Academic Fellowship supported by the British Pharmacological Society Integrative Pharmacology Fund.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Medical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK

    Michael H. Anderson & Emma S. J. Robinson

  2. School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, 12a Priory Road, Bristol, BS8 1TU, UK

    Michael H. Anderson & Marcus R. Munafò

Authors
  1. Michael H. Anderson
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  2. Marcus R. Munafò
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  3. Emma S. J. Robinson
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Correspondence to Emma S. J. Robinson.

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Anderson, M.H., Munafò, M.R. & Robinson, E.S.J. Investigating the psychopharmacology of cognitive affective bias in rats using an affective tone discrimination task. Psychopharmacology 226, 601–613 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-012-2932-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-012-2932-5

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