.............................................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is most commonly modelled in rats via injection of the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the medial forebrain bundle. Assessment of lateralised choice reaction time is usually conducted in the 9 hole box, a highly specialized apparatus that is not widely available in many behavioural laboratories. The retractable lever Skinner box on the other hand ...