Models & Assays
5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task
The 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) has become a widely used test to measure attentional perfermance in rodents, and having evolved from the continuous performance test in humans, the test has translational value. The basic test design involves training animals to respond to a brief visual stimulus presented unpredictably in one of five locations. One of the strengths of the 5-CSRTT is the ability to manipulate various test conditions to tax animals and provides a means of detecting bidirectional effects on performance within the same experiment.
Aged rats (~20mos.) were trained to stable performance levels in the 5-CSRTT, and subjected to occasional tests of extended trials (250 trials per session, 0.5s SD, 5s ITI). Acute nicotine pretreatment (0.4mg/kg s.c.) prevented the within-session decline in accuracy and response speed seen in vehicle treated animals. Cumulative data are shown on the histobars. (Adapted from: Grottick and Higgins, 2002).
