Avoidance tasks

Avoid tasks requiring mental alertness until response to the drag is known. 

Rat (Wistar) 2 hr 100 M 200 M (decreased response rate in discriminated avoidance task) ... 

Izquierdo, I., Fin, C., Schmitz, P. K. etal. Memory enhancement by intrahippocampal, intraamygdala, or intraentorhi-nal infusion of platelet-activating factor measured in an inhibitory avoidance task. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 92 5047-5051,1995. 

ABT-239 (5), a potent H3R antagonist, was effective at low doses (0.1 mg/kg s.c.) in a repeat trial inhibitory avoidance task in SHR pups [26], a model involving aspects of attention, impulsivity and learning that is thought to be relevant to characteristics of ADHD. ABT-239 was active in a social recognition... 

Mactutus CF, Unger KL, Tilson HA. 1982. Neonatal chlordecone exposure impairs early learning and memory in the rat on a multiple measure passive avoidance task. Neurotoxicology 3(2) 27-44. 

Passive avoidance task Morris water maze radial maze operant behavior tasks... 

Several studies have looked at the effects of combined preparations that include ginseng. A preparation of Biota orientalis, Panax ginseng, and Schisandra chinensis (S-113 m) improved memory retention in a passive-avoidance task with senescence-accelerated mice (Nishiyama et al. 1996). This combination also reduced memory impairments induced by ethanol and scopolamine in the step-down test and electroconvulsive shock-induced memory impairment (Nishiyama et al. 1995). 

Roozendaal B, McGaugh JL. 1996. Amygdaloid nuclei lesions differentially affect glucocorticoid-induced memory enhancement in an inhibitory avoidance task. Neurobiol Learn Mem 65(1) 1-8. 

Avoids tasks that require paying attention for a long time. 

If in instrumental conditioning a response is not followed by a punishment, but its absence, animals will increase this response in order to minimise punishment. In active avoidance tasks, for instance, animals have to show a distinct behavioural response in order to avoid a punishment. Typical examples would be shuttle-box experiments and jump-up avoidance. A shuttle box consists of two compartments that are connected by a sliding door. The punishment will be signalled by either a tone or a light stimulus (CS). Animals have to leave the compartment in which the CS was presented within a selected amoimt of time, after which the CS would be followed by a footshock. In the pole-jump test, the occurrence of the footshock will be signalled by a tone or hght stimulus as well. Animals can avoid the punishment if they jump onto a vertical wooden rod. 

Avoid tasks that require mental alertness or motor skills until response to the drug... 

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