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Omission evoked potentials (OEPs) in rats and the effects of diazepam

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2002

MARIJTJE L.A. JONGSMA ,
ANTON M.L. COENEN  and
CLEMENTINA M. VAN RIJN
MARIJTJE L.A. JONGSMA
Affiliation:
NICI: Music, Mind, Machine Group, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
ANTON M.L. COENEN
Affiliation:
NICI: Department of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
CLEMENTINA M. VAN RIJN
Affiliation:
NICI: Department of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Abstract

We investigated whether evoked potentials to omitted stimuli could be measured in rats. Such an animal model would provide a measure of aspects of information processing concerned with expectancy and time estimation. In a first experiment, omission evoked potentials (OEPs) were elicited in rats by omitting stimuli (10%) from a train of tone pips with a fixed ISI (3 s). A control session consisted of omitting stimuli (10%) from a train of tone pips with a variable ISI (2.5–3.5 s). In a second experiment, OEPs were measured in rats that received 4 mg·kg−1 diazepam or vehicle sc. In the first experiment, half of the animals showed OEPs that consisted of a late-latency positive wave, the other rats showed a slow negative drift. No OEPs were found in the control session. Rats showing OEPs consisting of a positive wave in Experiment 1 were passed to Experiment 2. In the vehicle condition of the second experiment, all rats showed OEPs. In the diazepam condition no OEPs were found. We found that OEPs can be measured in rats. In addition, OEPs are disrupted by diazepam. We propose that OEPs provide an elegant tool to elicit selectively endogenous EP components.

Keywords

Evoked potentialsOmitted stimuliDiazepamInformation processingExpectancyTime estimation
Type
Research Article
Information
Psychophysiology , Volume 39 , Issue 2 , March 2002 , pp. 229 - 235
Copyright
2002 Society for Psychophysiological Research

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