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Poster E in Poster Session E: Thursday, August 6, 10:30 am – 12:15 pm, Kimmel Center, Shorin & Rosenthal Rooms
Cocaine exposure alters the structure of task engagement and choice behavior in an odor-guided choice task
Brett A Hathaway1, Aidan Higgs1, Yuji Takahashi1, Thomas Stalnaker1, Geoffrey Schoenbaum1, Angela J Langdon1; 1National Institutes of Health
Presenter: Brett A Hathaway
Chronic exposure to drugs of abuse can significantly impair learning about rewarding outcomes. However, the specific relationship between neural and behavioral changes after drug exposure is unclear. Here, we analyzed choice patterns of cocaine-exposed and control rats as they performed an odor-guided choice task in which reward delay and magnitude were systematically manipulated across blocks. Chronic cocaine exposure was associated with reduced consistency across behavioral measures, a shift in how these measures relate to instructed versus free-choice behavior, and altered trial-by-trial sensitivity to outcomes. These findings suggest a reorganization of how learning and performance are coordinated, providing insight into the behavioral consequences of cocaine-induced alterations in learning-related dopaminergic signaling observed in this task.
Topic Area: Decision-Making, Cognitive Control & Event Cognition