Iowa Gambling Task
The Iowa Gambling Task is a well-known task in experimental psychology to investigate human decision making in terms of the long-term efficiency of behavior (Bechara et al. 1994). Key features are the uncertainty of outcomes and the conflict between the immediate and long-term pay-off.
Delta Phenomics offers a rodent version of the Iowa Gambling Task, based on the assumption that animals -similar to humans- will choose the option that results in greater benefits in the long term. The setup and protocol for mice are adapted from an earlier study at our lab (van den Bos et al. 2006). We use a radial maze with external cues (black and white symbols, see picture). For each arm of the radial maze, there is a certain chance of either a 'win situation' or a 'loss situation' in the form of palatable or bitter food rewards (sweetened puffed wheat or quinine-treated puffed wheat). This task is designed for research in animal decision making (cost-benefit) and reward sensitivity and provides insight in the underlying structures that are involved in this behavior such as the dopaminergic (reward) and serotonergic (cognitive control) system.
References
Bechara, A.; Damasio, A.R.; Damasio, H.; Anderson, S.W. (1994). Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal cortex. Cognition 50, 7-15.
Van Den Bos, R.; Lasthuis, W.; den Heijer, E.; van der Harst, J.E.; Spruijt, B.M. (2006). Toward a rodent model of the Iowa Gambling Task. Behavior Research Methods 38, 470-478.
