Spontaneous alternation as investigative behavior

Spontaneous Alternation Behavior in Human Neutrophils

The value of spontaneous alternation behavior (SAB) as a test of retention in pharmacological investigations of memory.

Because of its reliance on memory, the tendency for rats, mice and other animals to alternate successive choices of T- or Y-maze arms has assumed considerable popularity in pharmacological studies of spatial memory as a quick and simple measure of retention that avoids the need for extensive training and the use of conventional reinforcers. Two forms of this tendency have been utilized, namely ...

The Impact of a Naturalistic Stressor on Spontaneous Alternation Behavior: A New Animal Model of OCD

Over the past few decades, various animal models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been developed. Similarly, various stressors have been used throughout animal research. The Spontaneous Alternation Behavioral (SAB) model is a well-established model of OCD while 2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT) has recently become a popular naturalistic stressor. This study linked the two t...

Congenital hypothyroidism impairs response alternation discrimination behavior.

The behavior of six congenitally hypothyroid and six normal control rats was assessed under forced alternation fixed-ratio, alternating lever cyclic-ratio (ALCR) and progressive-ratio schedules of reinforcement. Hypothyroidism was produced by adding methimazole (MMI) to the drinking water of pregnant dams from embryonic day 16 to postnatal day 25. There were no differences in behavioral perform...

Spontaneous alternation in marine crabs: invasive versus native species.

Organisms ranging from paramecia to humans tend to explore places that have been least recently explored, which is referred to as spontaneous alternation. Although organisms rely on different sources of information in alternating between places, the emergent behavioral pattern is likely advantageous during exploration and foraging. Under this rationale, continuous spontaneous alternation perfor...