RODENT CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE TASK: IMAGE (RCPT) FOR MICE

DETAILS

We are pleased to offer rodent versions of the Human CPT task. Task developed by Adam Mar and colleagues at the University of Cambridge in the labs of Trevor Robbins, Tim Bussey, and Lisa Saksida (Kim et al., 2015; Hvoslef-Eide et al., 2015).

CPT tasks have been widely used to assess attentional processes. Attention in rodents is usually tested using the 5-choice serial reaction time task and 5-choice continuous performance tasks. These, however, require spatially divided attention. Typical Human CPT tasks present a series of images, each image being presented in succession for a brief period, in the same position. The subject is required to respond to designated target stimuli and withhold a response to non-target stimuli. This has the added difficulty of being able to discriminate and remember target patters, demonstrated as a key variable for observing vigilance decrements in perceptual sensitivity.

What is the Task?

In the rodent Image CPT task, 5 different black and white images are used. They are shown briefly, one at a time and in a random order, on the touch screen. One of the images is designated the target stimulus. In order to obtain reward, the subject must touch the target stimulus and withhold from touching the non-target stimuli. This task keeps the differences between pre-clinical and clinical attention tasks to a minimum.

As well as offering a CPT task the same as the Human tasks, this task also take less time to train (typically rats take ~20 days from habituation to the chamber, as opposed to 24 weeks for the 5-CPT tasks).

Neural Systems Involved: Dopamine, Serotonin, Colinergic, Parietal, Muscarinic
Clinical area showing impairment: Schizophrenia, ADHD, OCD, Alzheimer's

Reference

Chi Hun Kim, Martha Hvoslef-Eide1, Simon R. O. Nilsson, Mark R. Johnson, Bronwen R. Herbert, Trevor W. Robbins, Lisa M. Saksida, Timothy J. Bussey, & Adam C. Mar. The continuous performance test (rCPT) for mice: a novel operant touchscreen test of attentional function. Psychopharmacology. (2015)